Editorial on “A systematic review of the impact of pulmonary thromboendarterectomy on health related quality of life”
https://doi.org/10.1002/pul2.12420
Abstract
Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE) is the treatment of choice for patients with operable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) based on the ability to yield dramatic improvements in hemodynamics and association with improved survival.1 Multiple guidelines clearly position this as the treatment of choice for CTEPH patients with surgically accessible disease for these reasons. However, in clinical practice, it is not always as straightforward. For example, for a patient with minimal symptoms, the idea of undergoing a major surgery with significant recovery time can be daunting, particularly given the availability of balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) and medical therapy. The World Symposium on Pulmonary Hypertension highlighted the need for research to not only focus on standard clinical trial endpoints but to also evaluate the patient experience.2 A better understanding of how these interventions impact not only objective but also subjective patient centered outcomes is necessary to counsel such patients.