Organ donors are far too few
June 30, 2004
Steve Sparks knows time is running out to find a compatible donor for a life-saving lung transplant operation, his only option for surviving a rare lung disease.
Sparks' name was added to the national organ transplant waiting list in January 2003. At the time, doctors had given the Evansville man only 12 months to live. Sparks, 55, is ranked 11th on the national transplant list for a lung. But primary pulmonary hypertension - the disease ravaging his lungs - also is affecting his heart. Sparks is afraid if he doesn't receive a transplant soon he will need more than one replacement organ.
"Eventually the lung wears your heart out and you have to have a lung and heart transplant," said Sparks, who had a pacemaker implanted in May 2003.
Primary pulmonary hypertension increases blood pressure in the pulmonary artery, forcing Sparks' heart to work harder to supply oxygen to his lungs, leaving him short of breath and with occasional severe chest pains that mimic a heart attack.
"There is nothing I can do about this disease other than wait for somebody to die so I can get a lung," Sparks said.
There are about 85,000 patients in the United States waiting for an organ transplant, including about 550 Hoosiers. The number is growing because of a severe shortage of organ donors.
An average of 120 people are added to the waiting list every day, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing, the national clearinghouse that matches organ donors with transplant patients.
The network estimates 17 people die each day - 6,200 people a year - waiting for an organ.
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations this month issued a public policy report acknowledging the severe shortage of organ donors, particularly among minorities.
The report "Health Care at the Crossroads: Strategies for Narrowing the Organ Donor Gap and Protecting Patients" outlines three strategies and 33 specific recommendations for increasing the pool of organ donors.
"Until the supply catches up with demand ... America faces a growing public health problem," said Dr. Dennis S. O'Leary, president of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
He said an epidemic of morbid obesity (people at least 100 pounds overweight), diabetes and hypertension is creating a bigger demand for organ donors. O'Leary talked about the shortage during a national teleconference featuring several recognized transplant and health-care experts.
The first key strategy focuses on making organ donation a priority - starting with hospitals with the greatest potential for organ donations, such as top level trauma centers.
The need for equality, fairness and safety in the transplant process, the second key strategy, involves raising awareness among ethnic and minority groups and addressing transplants for people with disabilities.
The third strategy, seeking new ways to meet the demand, focuses on promoting health programs to prevent organs from failing and eliminating the practice of getting family consent to recover organs even through the donor already has given prior approval.
"Unfortunately, after death family views on organ donation are solicited and may actually trump the wishes of the donor prior to their death," said Dr. Ronald M. Davis, director of the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at Henry Ford Health System based in Detroit.
Dr. Clive O. Callender, chairman of the department of surgery at Howard University and founder of the Minority Organ and Tissue Transplant Education Program, said on average blacks on transplant waiting lists die twice as often as whites. He said one of the main reasons is a lack of health insurance or money.
"If you don't have (money), you don't get on the waiting list. If you don't get on the waiting list, you die," Callender said. He said institutional racism in which blacks are not valued the same as whites may be another reason for the transplant disparity.
Dr. Elizabeth M. Duke, administrator of Health Resources and Services for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said the federal agency is very concerned about disparities in organ donations and has spent $2.4 million over the past two years promoting awareness in major urban areas.
As a result, she said donations among African-Americans increased 24 percent last year and the number of Hispanic organ donors is up by 20 percent.
The Organ Center, which is part of the United Network for Organ Sharing, placed 610 donated organs in May, a record high for one month in the center's 22 year-history.
Anne Paschke, a spokeswoman for the organ network, said officials are hopeful but cannot predict whether the trend will continue. She said organ placements are based on a number of factors - including whether the organ is a match for the potential recipient.
Sparks said he can receive either a left or right lung from a male or female donor age 12 or older. Sparks carries a pager around the clock that will notify him when a donor has been located.
Once the pager goes off, Sparks must immediately call the transplant team at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis and be on his way to the hospital within 30 minutes. He said the pager has gone off twice, but they were both false alarms.
Sparks hopes the call will come soon. Between his illness and bouts with depression, he doesn't know how much longer he can hang on.
"I've had spells where I wanted to die. I thought 'I can't do this. I can't go on anymore,'" Sparks said. "But then you bounce back."
Sparks keeps his spirits up by staying busy, praying and spending time with his family, including girlfriend Debbie Williams, and daughters, Sage, 1, Katie, 19, Jennifer, 27, and Amy, 30. "I never thought I'd get to see summer again," Sparks said. "And even though it's been really humid and hard on me, I'm glad I got to see it."
Analyst: Court says no rehearing in Wyeth's Redux case (WYE)
By Val Brickates Kennedy
BOSTON (CBS.MW)06/30/04 --Analysts at Prudential Equity said Wednesday that a Third Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled against allowing Wyeth (WYE) a rehearing in its ongoing case concerning the company's now-discontinued diet drug Redux, also known as "fen-phen." Wyeth is currently in litigation with alleged victims of the drug who had opted out of a now-settled class action suit.
A federal court several weeks ago had ruled in favor of the plaintiffs being able to present additional evidence to support their claims, a decision that Wyeth immediately appealed. The Prudential analysts said that they believe Wyeth's only recourse in getting the evidence ruled inadmissable will be to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, a move that they see to be highly unlikely. The analysts added that they are maintaining their "overweight" rating for Wyeth, despite Wednesday's decision in favor of the plaintiffs.
Miracle mom makes history
Barbara Cole
June 28 2004 at 10:46AM
Durban's miracle mom Francoise King, who has had a death sentence hanging over her for the past six years, has now made medical history. For 34-year-old King has become the first patient in KwaZulu-Natal to have successfully had both a heart and a double-lung transplant.
The Bluff woman is also the only living transplant patient in South Africa to have received a heart and both lungs. "Francoise previously had a single lung transplant to buy her time, and as far as we can ascertain, she is the only patient who has had a donor organ removed to make way for a double lung and heart transplant," said Entabeni transplant co-ordinator, Cindy Goldie.
'Her only hope was a double lung transplant'
King of had been suffering from a rare, incurable lung disease - primary pulmonary hypertension. The odds of developing it are two million to one.
Her only hope was a double lung transplant, and although the single lung transplant five years ago bought her precious time with her husband, Bradley, and young children Tyril (now seven) and Chanelle (now 12), her health continued to deteriorate. Ideally, she also needed a heart transplant.
She has been in Entabeni Hospital since Christmas Eve, only being allowed home on a rare "overnight pass" to spend time with her worried family. Then it was back to hospital, where the wait for the all-important double lung transplant - and maybe a new heart - continued.
King's cardio-thoracic surgeon, Robbie Kleinloog, said she had been "desperate" since being admitted to hospital six months ago. She had been bedridden, had needed oxygen and had lost 30kg.
'I feel overwhelmed by it all'
Adding to the transplant team's problems were that lungs are not readily available - and that they had to find a heart and two lungs that perfectly fitted their patient's tiny chest. But then, at the beginning of June, came the news that ended King's long wait for a new life.
A donor heart and lungs suddenly became available following the death in an accident of a Gauteng donor - and as the the heart and lung "block" was being flown to Durban, King was being prepared for her five-hour transplant operation. It was only when she was on the operating table that surgeons decided to give her all the organs.
"I feel overwhelmed by it all," said King, who was finally discharged from hospital on Friday. She is now looking forward to spending time with her family, although they will still have to wait another month to kiss her in order to prevent infection.
Kleinloog said his patient was doing "remarkable well" and had already picked up five kilograms since her operation. Did he ever fear that the right-sized donor organs would not become available in time, we asked? "I never give up hope. That word's not in my vocobulary," he said.
Siksika bands together for charity
Sat, June 26, 2004
By CHRIS GERRITSEN, CALGARY SUN
Christa Rabbit Carrier was nine years old when she was diagnosed with a rare heart and lung condition called Primary Pulmonary Hypertension (PPH). She wasn't expected to live past 13 years. Rabbit Carrier is nearly 30 now and she has three children. Drug therapy and a boundless zest for life has kept Rabbit Carrier alive. Life has been difficult for a girl who loved cross-country running, but can now barely make it up a flight of stairs.
Rabbit Carrier has much support from family and friends -- especially of the Siksika Nation.
However, she felt alone with her condition until she was recently introduced to the Peter Lougheed Centre Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic Greatest Needs Fund -- a PPH support group for people battling PPH and similar diseases.
Rabbit Carrier, with help from her family and friends, has decided to channel her positive energy to raise money for the fund and awareness of the disease.
Numerous fundraisers and awareness campaigns have been planned, including a golf tournament today in Rabbit Carrier's honour at the Strathmore Golf Club. If you'd like to donate to the cause, go to the Calgary Health Trust's website at www.thetrust.ca, click on donations and fill out the form. Indicate the gift is toward the PH Greatest Needs Fund. Receipts will be issued.
Let her breathe easier
25jun04
MUM Lisa Arnell has a simple wish: to live to see her toddler marry. But the Horsham woman needs a double lung transplant to make her dreams come true. Struck down by primary pulmonary hypertension, Ms Arnell is taking a $1700-a-day drug that doctors hope will keep her alive until transplant. The drug Prostacyclin's cost rises over time as the dosage increases -- to about $500,000 a year.
Ms Arnell tells her doctors she will be a rare survivor. "I wake up every day and thank Christ I'm alive," Ms Arnell, 30, said. "I don't want to say goodbye to my daughter." Like many young women, Ms Arnell first showed symptoms just after daughter Madeline's birth. At one point she could barely walk to her letterbox.
"I was desperately ill. I could barely pick Madeline up, but I couldn't convince my doctor I was seriously ill," she said. "At first they thought I had asthma." It was at the Alfred that Lisa learned how sick she was. The hospital's AIRMed clinical director Dr Trevor Williams said pregnancy and childbirth often triggered the symptoms of the disease. "It can be an extraordinarily difficult time of life to face such a serious illness," he said.
About 50 per cent of people with PPH -- now renamed idiopathic PAH -- die within 30 months of diagnosis. Idiopathic PAH narrows the blood vessels of the lung. In pregnant women the heart can't increase its cardiac output as it needs to.
After using a wheelchair for more than 12 months, Lisa can now stand and, sometimes, walk. "I want to get on with my life but I know someone has to die to save me and that's terrible. I try not to think about it because it makes me so sad," she said. "I wish there was another way."
The Arnell family was forced to leave their Horsham home to rent in Melbourne. Finances are also tight because Ms Arnell's husband Shane was forced to leave his job to give her the round-the-clock care she needs and to look after Madeline. FRIENDS have set up the Arnell Family Appeal. Anyone wishing to help can donate at any National Australia Bank.
Medicare to Extend Access to Certain Drugs for Beneficiaries With Serious and Chronic Illnesses
WASHINGTON, June 24 /U.S. Newswire/ -- HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced a new Medicare demonstration program that will save seniors and persons with disabilities substantial money -- up to 90 percent in some cases -- on the life-enhancing medicines they take for serious diseases, including cancer, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.
The demonstration program, created as part of the Medicare Modernization Act, will extend Medicare coverage to prescription medicines that can be self-administered rather than administered by a health care provider. The demonstration will help up to 50,000 beneficiaries with serious illnesses who do not have comprehensive prescription drug coverage today.
"This demonstration will provide access and affordability to life-saving medicines for people fighting serious diseases," Secretary Thompson said. "Through this coverage, seniors will save thousands of dollars on essential medicines that they can take at home. It will relieve some of the burden of battling a debilitating disease."
The initiative, known as the Medicare Replacement Drug Demonstration, was mandated under Section 641 of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA). As set by Congress, enrollment in the demonstration will be open to 50,000 people and total spending on the covered drugs will be up to $500 million.
Under this initiative, Medicare will pay for certain drugs and biologicals that can be taken by the patient at home and that replace drugs which are currently covered under Medicare Part B when given in a doctor's office. In addition, newer, more effective medications that replace some currently covered oral anti-cancer drugs will also be covered.
"Covering drugs that you can administer yourself improves access to high-quality care," said Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D., administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). "In some cases, by avoiding the need for doctor visits and intravenous injections, costs and medical complications may be reduced and access and ease of treatment will increase. And many beneficiaries will get literally tens of thousands of dollars worth of help in purchasing these critical medicines right away, ahead of the Medicare drug benefit in 2006."
Drugs for treatment of such diseases as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, pulmonary hypertension and a variety of cancers will be included in the demonstration. The drugs were selected based on criteria developed after extensive input from physicians and other experts. The drugs and the diseases that are covered are listed below.
Beneficiary cost sharing for these drugs will mirror the "standard" Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit when it is implemented in 2006 (participants will not pay the monthly premium in the demonstration, however). Beneficiaries with limited resources and incomes of less than 150 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) will have even lower cost sharing requirements.
The demonstration will give Medicare beneficiaries a glimpse of the significant savings coming their way when the Part D prescription drug benefit is fully implemented in 2006. Examples of estimated savings over a year include:
-- Patients with Chronic Myelogenous Lymphoma (a cancer) using Gleevec could save nearly 90 percent or $40,654 annually. Gleevec has an estimated annual cost of $45,952, but patients in the demo would only pay $5,298.
-- Patients with Multiple sclerosis could save 75 percent or $12,260 annually off medicines that cost an estimated $16,298 annually. They would pay only $4,038.
-- Patients with rheumatoid arthritis could save 75 percent or $11,975 annually off medicines that cost an estimated $16,000. They would pay only $4,025.
-- And patients with pulmonary hypertension using Tracleer could save 86 percent or $31,255 off of a cost that otherwise could reach $36,136. They would pay only $4,881.
Low-income beneficiaries in the demonstration would save significantly more. Using the above examples, for those between 135 and 150 percent of the FPL estimated savings would be: for Gleevec they would pay $638, for MS and rheumatoid arthritis patients they would pay $628, and for someone taking Tracleer their annual cost would be $638. For those between 100 and 135 percent of the FPL, they would pay at most $60 per year for any of the drugs covered in the demonstration program, and seniors below 100 percent of FPL could pay less.
"Seniors are going to save substantial money on their prescription medicines thanks to the new drug benefit under Medicare, and this demonstration will give them a sense of the savings that are on the way," Secretary Thompson said. "For seniors currently without drug coverage, this new benefit will help strengthen their health and their pocketbook. It provides substantial savings on the out-of-pocket costs they currently pay for medicines."
As directed by Congress in creation of the demonstration, approximately 40 percent of the funding will be allocated for oral anti-cancer medications. If more beneficiaries apply than Medicare is able to serve, CMS will select participants among the cancer and non-cancer groups randomly from the applications received, on an alternating basis between the two groups.
To be eligible for the demonstration, a beneficiary must be enrolled in Medicare Part A and Part B, Medicare must be their primary payer, and the beneficiary may not have comprehensive drug coverage through other sources (such as TriCare, Medicaid, or an employer or union sponsored plan). A beneficiary must also have a signed certification from a doctor that he or she requires one of the drugs covered under the demonstration for the indicated disease.
"We intend to work with our state and local partners, and with patient organizations and others, to help beneficiaries with these serious diseases find out about how to take advantage of this program -- and about the additional help now available to assist with drug costs," Dr. McClellan said.
CMS is conducting an Open Door Forum on June 29 with patient advocacy groups, physician specialty groups, physicians and drug manufacturers so they can help beneficiaries in applying for the program.
To enroll in the demonstration program, beneficiaries should complete an application, get their physician to complete the required form certifying their need for the covered drug, and submit both forms to CMS' demonstration contractor, TrailBlazer Health Enterprises.
Participants in the demonstration will be able to get their drugs at a local retail pharmacy or byhome delivery through Caremark, Trailblazer's subcontractor for administering the drug benefit.
The demonstration will run through Dec. 31, 2005, at which time all beneficiaries will be able to enroll in the new Medicare Part D drug benefit.
Starting immediately, applications may be downloaded from the CMS Web site at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/researchers/demos/drugcoveragedemo.asp. Starting July 6, customer service representatives will be available at 1-866-563-5386, TTY Number: 1-866-536-5387 to answer questions about the demonstration and assist beneficiaries in obtaining and completing the application forms. Between now and July 6, beneficiaries who have questions can call 1-800 MEDICARE. Applications will be accepted for consideration beginning July 6 through Sept. 30.
Those beneficiaries who are able to get their applications in by Aug. 16 will be in an "early selection" process that will give them coverage by Sept. 1.
Applications will be accepted through Sept.30, at which time another selection process will be held. As long as the application is received by Sept.30, all applicants will have an equal chance to get into the demonstration. If enrollment slots are still available, applications will continue to be accepted after that date. The drugs and the diseases that are covered are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2004pres/20040624.html.
Vasopressin During Spinal Anesthesia in a Patient with Primary Pulmonary Hypertension Treated with Intravenous Epoprostenol
Edward B. Braun, MD, Christopher A. Palin, MBBS FRCA, and Charles W. Hogue, MD
Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
Address correspondence and reprint requests to Charles Hogue, MD, Campus Box 8054, 660 S. Euclid Avenue, St Louis, MO 63110–1093. Address email to hoguec@wustl.edu.
Primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) is a progressive disease with frequent morbidity and mortality, including the risk of cardiac decompensation and death, during general anesthesia. Administration of IV epoprostenol (Flolan) improves symptoms and survival of patients with PPH and thus is an increasingly used long-term treatment for this condition. This therapy is associated with impaired platelet aggregation, which may complicate the perioperative management of patients with PPH. We present a case report of a patient with severe PPH receiving a continuous epoprostenol infusion undergoing skin grafting for a leg ulcer under spinal anesthesia. An IV infusion of vasopressin was given to prevent systemic hypotension resulting from sympathetic blockade while avoiding increases in pulmonary vascular resistance that may have resulted from catecholamine usage.
IMPLICATIONS: Primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) is a progressively fatal disease that is associated with cardiovascular collapse and death with general anesthesia. We present a patient with PPH who underwent skin grafting under spinal anesthesia while receiving a continuous IV epoprostenol infusion. IV vasopressin was used to avoid systemic hypotension associated with spinal anesthesia.
Transplant mum says 'thanks' to hospital
16 June 2004
A LEYLAND mum who underwent transplant surgery is returning to the scene of her life saving operation for a special celebration.
Angela Kelly, 42, of East Street, Leyland, had a heart and lung transplant in July 2000, after suffering from primary pulmonary hypertension, a lung condition which shuts down all main blood vessels, veins and arteries. Before the dual transplant, Angela's condition had deteriorated to the point where she could no longer walk and needed oxygen 24 hours a day. Specialists believed that without the operation she would have only had two years to live.
But after a lengthy recovery from surgery, Angela is now fit enough to live an ordinary life once again, holding down two jobs at St Anne's Primary School Breakfast Club and Lanes Decor on East Street, both in Leyland. On Saturday, Angela and her partner Martin Anderton will return to Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire where she underwent the surgery, to celebrate the hospital's 25th anniversary.
Angela, who is mother to Ryan, 16, said: "It's lovely to be able to go back to Papworth to thank all the staff at the hospital who were so vital in helping me to overcome my condition.
"Working at the hospital is more than just a job for them, it's like a vocation, so I'm looking forward to being able to join them in celebrating their success.
"It has been great for me to be able to get back to work and to a normal life after recovering from my operation. "My mum knows of somebody who is on the waiting list for a similar operation to mine, so it's nice to be able to let them know that it's not all doom and gloom and that there is light at the end of the tunnel." Angela wanted to pay tribute to people who donate their organs and the families who support that decision.
She added: "Without people like that I wouldn't be here, so I have to be thankful to them, and I hope that more people will consider offering their organs for donation so they know that even when they're gone, they can still be helping to save somebody's life."
For more information on organ donation, contact the Organ Donor Line on 0845 60 60 400, or visit their web site at www.uktransplant.org.uk
6/9/04
Researches Discover Hidden Benefit of Viagra
Patients who use Viagra may get a fringe benefit, better lung power. A recent study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology says that patients with primary pulmonary hypertension, or PHP, who were also taking Viagra, showed significant improvement on the treadmill.
Normally, Viagra is taken for impotence but in this study, half the patients with PPH were given Viagra, the other half took a sugar pill. Researchers found that after six weeks, the length of endurance on the treadmill increased 44 % among the Viagra patients.
kcbd.com
Oral sildenafil (Viagra®) improved exercise tolerance, cardiac output and quality of life in 22 patients with primary pulmonary hypertension
Pharmaceutical News
Published: Tuesday, 6-Apr-2004
Oral sildenafil (Viagra®) improved exercise tolerance, cardiac output and quality of life in 22 patients with primary pulmonary hypertension, according to the results of the first randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover study, reported in the April 7, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
"Not only is the response there; the magnitude of the response is nearly 40 percent. So even with only 22 patients, we could demonstrate a highly statistically significant, very powerful result," said B. K. S. Sastry, DM, with the CARE Hospital in Hyderabad, India.
In patients with primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH), vascular resistance and pressure in the pulmonary arteries progressively increases. The condition is uncommon, but it often leads to heart failure and death. The cause is unknown. Current treatments are unsatisfactory. Some drugs offer only small benefits and some require intravenous infusions. Some PPH patients eventually receive lung transplants.
This study builds on the clinical experience of the researchers and published reports that indicated PPH patients who were given sildenafil improved, often by as much as 40 percent on tests of exercise duration. Also, sildenafil generally has fewer side effects than other PPH treatments. Sildenafil, which dilates blood vessels, is primarily used to treat erectile dysfunction.
"In contrast to other treatments, sildenafil is a drug that can be just taken orally, perhaps three times a day, and the magnitude of the benefit is much greater. And the side effect profile is much, much better. For example, with bosentan (a dual endothelin-receptor antagonist), people have a chance of developing serious liver problems," Dr. Sastry said.
Earlier published studies did not compare sildenafil to placebo, so the researchers enrolled 22 patients with PPH who were then randomized to receive either sildenafil (25 to 100 mg three times a day, based on body weight) or placebo treatment. The randomization results were blinded to both patients and the researchers. After six weeks of treatment, the patients were crossed over to the other treatment; that is, those receiving placebo began getting sildenafil and vice-versa. In this way, each patient served as his or her own control.
One patient withdrew while receiving sildenafil. One patient died while receiving placebo. For statistical purposes, both patients were included in the study analysis as if they had not experienced any change in their conditions.
Exercise time on a treadmill, cardiac output on echocardiograms, and responses to a quality of life questionnaire were measured at baseline, at the six-week medication crossover point, and again when the study concluded after 12 weeks.
"And in all three parameters, exercise tolerance, cardiac output, and quality of life, we could demonstrate significant benefit with sildenafil compared to placebo," Dr. Sastry said.
The length of time patients could exercise on a treadmill increased by 44 percent from 475 ± 168 seconds at the end of placebo phase to 686 ± 224 seconds at the end of sildenafil phase (p < 0.0001). With sildenafil, cardiac index improved from 2.80 ± 0.9 liters/meter-squared to 3.45 ± 1.1 l/m2 (p < 0.0001). There was significant improvement in the dyspnea and fatigue components of the quality of life questionnaire. Pulmonary artery systolic pressure decreased from 105.23 ± 17.82 millimeters of mercury to 98.50 ± 24.38 mm Hg, but the change was not statistically significant.
Dr. Sastry said larger trials are needed to confirm their results and to check for rare side effects. Also, he said studies involving cardiac catheterization and more objective methods of exercise testing would help provide better data on how sildenafil works in patients with PPH.
Lewis J. Rubin, MD, with the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, who was not connected with this study, said physicians are looking forward to the results of longer and larger trials that will build on the experience using sildenafil to treat PPH.
"It's an encouraging, but still preliminary study. The strength was the design, a cross-over study which adds to the strength of the observation. The weakness is that it is still a small study with regard to the number of patients, and a short duration of observation," Dr. Rubin said. "The results of an international, placebo-controlled trial in several hundred patients will be available in a few months, and this should shed light on the role of sildenafil in pulmonary hypertension. Of course, long-term data will be critical, but this will be forthcoming as more patients in these trials are treated for longer periods of time with open label studies."
Doctors at Care Hospital found that sildenafil citrate, commonly used for improving sexual performance, is effective against the condition called Primary Pulmonary Hypertension (PPH).
The hospital conducted a double blind placebo controlled study on 22 patients, for the purpose and found out that all the patients who were on Sildenafil had improved exercise capacity.
In a double blind placebo controlled study, neither the doctor nor the patient undergoing treatment know which is the drug and which is the placebo.
The hospital authorities said on Tuesday, that the study has been well received by the global medical community and was published in April 7th issue of Journal of American College of Cardiology.
The research team was headed by Dr B Soma Raju and Dr B K S Sastry of Care Hospitals. The doctors feel that the new form of therapy would become a standard procedure for treating PPH.
| Primary Pulmonary Hypertension News Archives | |||||
| January | February | March | April | May | June |
| July | August | September | October | November | December |