Clinical implications of haemoptysis in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a disabling disease that may result in haemoptysis. Patients with congenital heart disease associated PAH (CHD-APAH) may have a survival advantage when compared with patients with other types of PAH presenting with haemoptysis. The effects of aetiology and subsequent management choice of haemoptysis in PAH patients is not well-defined. We conducted outcome analysis in CHD-APAH vs. all other subtypes of PAH patients presenting with haemoptysis to The Methodist Hospital. Twenty-one patients were identified, 13 patients in the CHD-APAH group and eight patients in the non-CHD group. We evaluated outcomes related to treatment (bronchial artery embolisation (BAE) vs. conservative management), hospital length of stay, mortality rates and survival in this cohort. The CHD-APAH and non-CHD groups had similar baseline demographic, haemodynamic and laboratory values except BMI was higher in the non-CHD group and haematocrit was higher in the CHD-APAH group. Twenty-eight-day mortality (0% vs. 31%) and 1-year mortality (0% vs. 54%) was lower in the CHD-APAH patients as compared with non-CHD group. A statistically significant difference was found in the survival rate in favour of CHD-APAH group for the total follow-up period (p = 0.02). Although not statistically significant, patients treated with BAE had shorter length of stay (4.0 days ± 4.0 vs. 13.7 days ± 22.5; p = 0.26). There was recurrent haemoptysis in 43% of patients treated with BAE. Haemoptysis in PAH patients is a serious event with a high mortality rate. CHD-APAH seems to confer a survival advantage, independent of therapy utilised. Termination of haemoptysis with BAE is rapid with relatively few complications except for frequent re-bleeding episodes. Further studies are needed to determine the risk factors that may predispose PAH patients to excessive mortality from haemoptysis and to identify an optimal therapeutic modality.