Pulmonary artery pressure measurement during exercise testing in patients with suspected pulmonary hypertension

It is recognized that exercise produces abnormally large increases in pulmo nary artery pressure in patients with pulmonary vascular disease as a conse quence of a variety of disorders, but the relationship between pressure and cardiopulmonary exercise performance is poorly understood. This lack of un derstanding is due (in part) to difficulty making measurements of pulmonary haemodynamics using conventional fluid filled catheters, This article seek s to improve understanding by comparing variables measured during formal ex ercise testing crith simultaneous measurements of pulmonary artery pressure using a micro-manometer tipped catheter, Ten patients with suspected pulmonary hypertension mere studied using a mic romanometer tipped pulmonary artery catheter, during cardiopulmonary exerci se testing. Ventilatory equivalents for oxygen and carbon dioxide correlate d with the pulmonary artery pressure measured on exercise, but oxygen pulse and oxygen uptake did not, Ventilatory equivalents, noninvasively measured during exercise, may merit further study as potential surrogates of pulmonary artery pressure and henc e be useful in identifying individuals at risk of developing pulmonary hype rtension.