Pharmacological stress echocardiography - a new non-invasive follow-up examination of intermittent ventilation

Background: Patients with chronic respiratory insufficiency frequently deve lop pulmonary hypertension. Non-invasive intermittent ventilation is usuall y very successful in these patients to improve blood gas exchange and clini cal symptoms. Alterations of pulmonary hemodynamics during non-invasive int ermittent ventilation are rarely described. Pharmacological stress echocard iography of the right heart is a new method to examine pulmonary hemodynami cs. Arn of this study was to answer the question whether non-invasive inter mittent ventilation improves pulmonary hemodynamics. Patients and Method: Five patients are examined prior to and during non-inv asive intermittent ventilation by right ventricular stress echocardiography at rest and during exercise. Pulmonary arterial pressure was registered an d compared. The effectiveness of intermittent ventilation was evaluated wit h respect to blood gas analytic values. Results: During non-invasive intermittent ventilation all 5 patients improv ed their pulmonary arterial mean (PAP mean) and systolic pressure, but no s tatistical significant changes could be observed during the 4.5-months foll ow-up. Conclusion: Non-invasive intermittent ventilation improves the pulmonary he modynamics at rest and during exercise the results not being significant.