Cardiovascular Institute

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is high blood pressure in the arteries to your lungs. It is a serious condition for which there are treatments but no cure. If you have it, the blood vessels that carry oxygen-poor blood from your heart to your lungs become hard and narrow. Your heart has to work harder to pump blood through your arteries. Over time, your heart weakens and cannot do its job and you can develop heart failure. Although the prognosis for patients suffering from PH is poor, researchers are developing new treatments that offer hope for improved outcomes.

Led by nationally and internationally recognized cardiologists, Raymond Benza, MD, and Srinivas Murali, MD, the Allegheny General Hospital PH Program is a Center of Excellence for the diagnosis and treatment of PH. The program team members work closely with each patient to ensure individualized, comprehensive care. Patients referred to this multidisciplinary program by pulmonary, rheumatology and imaging specialists undergo a step-wise evaluation to determine the cause, severity and prognosis of their disease. Advanced imaging methods such as magnetic resonance imaging and myocardial tissue Doppler imaging are routinely used to evaluate right ventricular dysfunction due to PH. AGH’s PH program is the only program in the region that uses these advanced imaging techniques in the evaluation of PH patients.

After diagnosis, the PH team offers a comprehensive patient education system for the patient and their family. Appropriate evidence-based treatment options are discussed in detail and implemented. Referring physicians are contacted in order to maintain continuity of care and often to develop a congruent care plan. In fact, AGH is one of the first expert centers to offer a community integration program. Through this program, interested referring physicians are able to maintain ongoing treatment plans with patients who need periodic follow-up at our center for risk stratification and advanced therapies.

Learn more about Pulmonary Hypertension in our Health Library.