Mixed venous oxygen tension is a crucial prognostic factor in pulmonary hypertension: a retrospective cohort study

Abstract

Background

The prognostic value of mixed venous oxygen tension (PvO₂) at pulmonary hypertension diagnosis treated with selective pulmonary vasodilators remains unclear. This study sought to investigate the association of PvO₂ with long-term prognosis in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and medically treated chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) and to identify the distinct mechanisms influencing tissue hypoxia in patients with CTEPH or PAH.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed data from 138 (age: 50.2 ± 16.6 years, 81.9% women) and 268 (age: 57.4 ± 13.1 years, 72.8% women) patients with PAH and CTEPH, respectively, diagnosed at our institution from 1983 to 2018. We analyzed the survival rates of patients with/without tissue hypoxia (PvO₂ < 35 mmHg) and identified their prognostic factors based on the pulmonary hypertension risk stratification guidelines.

Results

Survival was significantly poorer in patients with tissue hypoxia than in those without it for PAH (P = 0.001) and CTEPH (P = 0.017) treated with selective pulmonary vasodilators. In patients with PAH, PvO₂ more strongly correlated with prognosis than other hemodynamic prognostic factors regardless of selective pulmonary vasodilators usage. PvO₂ was the only significant prognostic factor in patients with CTEPH treated with pulmonary hypertension medication. Patients with CTEPH experiencing tissue hypoxia exhibited significantly poorer survival than those in the intervention group (P < 0.001). PvO₂ more strongly correlated with the cardiac index (CI) than the alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient (A-aDO₂) in PAH; whereas in CTEPH, PvO₂ was more strongly correlated with A-aDO₂ than with CI.

Conclusions

PvO₂ may represent a crucial prognostic factor for pulmonary hypertension. The prognostic impact of tissue hypoxia affects different aspects of PAH and CTEPH, thereby reflecting their distinct pathogenesis.