Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)
Academic Term
Summer 2020
Document Type
Project
Course Number
NURS 6810
Course Name
Advanced Pathophysiology for the Advanced Practice Nurse
Professor’s Name
Dr. Chovan & Dr. Butz
Keywords
CTEPH, pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary thromboendarterectomy, pulmonary heart disease, pulmonary embolism
Subject Categories
Critical Care Nursing | Medicine and Health Sciences | Nursing | Respiratory Tract Diseases
Abstract
Chronic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a rare and underdiagnosed complication of unresolved acute pulmonary embolism (PE). A chronic fibrotic thrombus replaces the unresolved emboli in the pulmonary vascular bed causing pre-capillary pulmonary hypertension (Mahmud et al., 2018). Symptoms rang from mild nonspecific such as exercise intolerance and dyspnea. As the disease progresses, symptoms present similarly to right ventricular heart failure (Gopalan et al., 2016). Although the pathophysiology and etiology of CTEPH is still not fully understood, risk factors include increased size of the PE, right ventricular strain, chronic inflammation, and defects in fibrinolysis among others (Fernandes et al., 2016). Treatment include pulmonary thromboendarterectomy, balloon pulmonary angioplasty, and medical management. Management of CTEPH patients presents many clinical complications for anesthesia providers as it impairs both respiratory and cardiac systems, so it is imperative that anesthesia providers “are well equipped to manage patients for surgeries with their potential complications” (Chen et al., 2019, p. 169).
Recommended Citation
Curry, Alyssa, "Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension" (2020). Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN). 412.
https://digitalcommons.otterbein.edu/stu_msn/412