(Circulation. 2002;105:2398.)
© 2002 American Heart Association, Inc.
Clinical Investigation and Reports |
From the Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology; Vascular Biology Group; and Division of Pulmonary Medicine (D.L.), University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Correspondence to Evangelos D. Michelakis, MD, Cardiology, University of Alberta, 2C2.36 Walter Mackenzie Health Sciences Centre, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2B7. E-mail emichela{at}cha.ab.ca
| Abstract |
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Methods and Results We studied 13 consecutive patients (mean±SEM, 44±2 years of age; 9 women) referred for consideration of heart-lung transplantation or as a guide to medical therapy. All but one were functional class III or IV. Patients had primary PHT (n=9), pulmonary arterial hypertension (n=2), or secondary PHT (n=2). Hemodynamics and serum cyclic guanosine-monophosphate levels (cGMP) were measured at baseline and at peak effects of iNO (80 ppm), sildenafil (75 mg), and their combination. The decrease in pulmonary vascular resistance was similar with iNO (-19±5%) and sildenafil (-27±3%), whereas sildenafil+iNO was more effective than iNO alone (-32±5%, P<0.003). Sildenafil and sildenafil+iNO increased cardiac index (17±5% and 17±4%, respectively), whereas iNO did not (-0.2±2.0%, P<0.003). iNO increased, whereas sildenafil tended to decrease, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (+15±6 versus -9±7%, P<0.0007). Systemic arterial pressure was similar among groups and did not decrease with treatment. cGMP levels increased similarly with iNO and sildenafil, and their combination synergistically elevated cGMP (P<0.0001).
Conclusions A single oral dose of sildenafil is as effective and selective a pulmonary vasodilator as iNO. Sildenafil may be superior to iNO in that it increases cardiac output and does not increase wedge pressure. Future studies are indicated to establish whether sildenafil could be effective over a longer duration.
Key Words: hypertension, pulmonary nitric oxide hemodynamics
| Introduction |
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iNO causes vasodilatation by increasing the levels of cyclic guanosine-monophosphate (cGMP) in vascular smooth muscle cells.11,12 cGMP is short lived because of the rapid degradation by phosphodiesterases.13 There are numerous phosphodiesterases, but the isoform that is active in degrading cGMP in the lung is cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase-5.14 Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors cause pulmonary vasodilatation by promoting an enhanced and sustained level of cGMP.15 There have been recent anecdotal reports and preliminary studies indicating that sildenafil, a specific phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor widely used in the treatment of erectile dysfunction,16 decreases pulmonary vascular resistance in humans with primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH),17,18 in healthy volunteers with hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction,19 and in animals with experimental PAH.20,21 We hypothesized that sildenafil would be as effective in decreasing pulmonary vascular resistance as iNO in the acute assessment of patients with severe pulmonary hypertension. We directly compared the effects of iNO with a single dose of oral sildenafil as well as their combination on pulmonary and systemic hemodynamics in patients with severe pulmonary hypertension.
| Methods |
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Protocol
All patients continued taking their medications on the day of the study, except for coumadin, which was held to reach an international normalized ratio of <1.5. One patient was taking continuous epoprostenol (Flolan, Glaxo Wellcome Canada), and this was continued throughout the study. The patients fasted for at least 6 hours, and no patient was premedicated with analgesics or sedatives. Twelve patients were studied in the catheterization laboratory, and 1 patient was studied in the coronary care unit.
A 4F catheter was placed in the right radial artery under local anesthesia for continuous arterial pressure monitoring. A 7F catheter was then placed in the right jugular vein under local anesthesia, and a Swan-Ganz catheter was advanced into the pulmonary artery under fluoroscopy. After lines were placed, patients were allowed to rest for 15 minutes, and then the following hemodynamic measurements were recorded and defined as the baseline measurements: arterial pressure, right atrial pressure, pulmonary arterial pressure and pulmonary capillary pressure, heart rate, and cardiac output, using the thermodilution method. All measurements were performed during end expiration, and the mean pressures were electronically calculated over at least 10 beats.
The response to iNO delivered through a custom-made airtight mask (10, 20, 40, and 80 ppm, each for 10 minutes) was then studied. The pulmonary artery pressure was continuously monitored, and complete hemodynamics were obtained at the most effective dose of iNO, which was 80 ppm in all patients (except in patient No. 7, in whom it was 60 ppm). These were defined as the iNO measurements. NO was discontinued, and after 10 minutes, a single dose of sildenafil (Viagra, Pfizer Canada, 75 mg) was given. The effects of iNO, which has a half-life of
3 minutes, had completely subsided before giving sildenafil. The patients were monitored for 50 minutes with continuous ECG and arterial and pulmonary artery pressure recordings, and then a complete set of hemodynamics was recorded (defined as the sildenafil measurements). Previous studies have shown that the peak hemodynamic effects of sildenafil occur at
50 minutes after oral intake22 and that its biological effects last for at least 3 hours.16 One hour after the sildenafil dose and while its effects were still at peak, patients were re-exposed to iNO, and these were defined as iNO+sildenafil measurements. In addition, 5 mL of pulmonary and systemic blood was obtained for oxygen saturation and cGMP level measurements during each of the 4 periods (baseline, iNO, sildenafil, and iNO+sildenafil). For the cGMP measurements, the blood was placed in tubes containing the nonspecific phosphodiesterase inhibitor isobutylmethylxanthine to avoid ex vivo degradation of cGMP, as previously described.23 Blood was immediately centrifuged and the serum stored at -80°C for future measurements. cGMP was performed using a commercially available ELISA kit (Biomedical Technologies Inc). After the catheters were removed, the patients were observed for 3 to 4 hours, with vital signs recorded every hour.
Statistical Analysis
The data are expressed as mean±SEM. Because every patient served as his or her own control, interventions were compared using a repeated-measures ANOVA with a post hoc analysis using a Fishers probable least-significant differences test (Statview, SAS Institute). P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Regression analysis was performed using the same software to determine whether there is a correlation between the levels of cGMP and pulmonary vascular resistance either at baseline or during the 3 interventions. Although the investigators performing the hemodynamic studies were not blinded to the different treatments, the investigators performing the analysis from computerized data spreadsheets were blinded.
| Results |
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Hemodynamics
The mean hemodynamic data at baseline and after interventions are shown in Table 2. The individual responses of the pulmonary vascular resistance index and the cardiac index to iNO, sildenafil, or their combination are shown in Figure 1. The percent changes in all hemodynamic parameters are shown in Figure 2, where probability value for intergroup differences (using repeated-measures ANOVA) as well as probability value for differences between groups (using a Fishers post hoc analysis) are shown. Sildenafil alone decreased the mean pulmonary artery pressure more than iNO (Figure 2A). Both iNO and sildenafil decreased pulmonary vascular resistance significantly and to a similar extent (Figure 2B). The combination of iNO and sildenafil had greater effects on pulmonary vascular resistance than iNO alone (Figure 2B). Sildenafil significantly increased the cardiac index, in contrast to iNO (Figure 2C). The combination of the 2 treatments on cardiac index was not different from the effect of sildenafil alone (Figure 2C). There was a significant difference in the effects of the 2 treatments on the pulmonary capillary wedge pressure. iNO increased the wedge pressure, whereas sildenafil decreased it (Figure 2D). None of the 3 treatments decreased the mean arterial pressure (Table 2). The heart rate was not altered by any treatment (Table 2). The arterial oxygen saturation was improved by both iNO and sildenafil with a trend for statistical significance in the iNO+sildenafil group (P=0.06, Table 2).
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cGMP Levels
Both iNO and sildenafil significantly raised cGMP levels in the arterial blood (Figure 3). As expected, their combination had an additive effect (Figure 3). However, there was no correlation between cGMP levels and either baseline pulmonary vascular resistance or the fall in pulmonary vascular resistance achieved by iNO or sildenafil.
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Adverse Effects
There were no significant hemodynamic or other adverse effects with any of the treatments during the 3 hours of the study or the 3 hours of observation after the study. One patient reported a self-limited headache 2 hours after sildenafil intake.
| Discussion |
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Our study confirms previous reports that iNO causes increase in the pulmonary artery wedge pressure, especially in patients with left ventricular dysfunction,24,25 perhaps explaining occasional cases of pulmonary edema with this therapy.26 Our finding that sildenafil tends to decrease the wedge pressure suggests that sildenafil might be superior to iNO in the evaluation of the patients with severe pulmonary hypertension. This might have important safety implications both for the acute study and for eventual long-term use of this drug in patients with left ventricular dysfunction.
The preferential effect of sildenafil on the pulmonary circulation probably reflects the high expression of this isoform in the lung. However, phosphodiesterase-5 also is found in the myocardium, where it maybe downregulated in heart failure.27 The finding that sildenafil decreases the wedge pressure and increases the cardiac index suggests that it does not have negative inotropic effects, at least in the patients studied. Phosphodiesterase-5 has been implicated in modulation of sympathetic tone,27 and sildenafil recently has been shown to cause sympathetic nervous system activation in normal volunteers.28 However, the fact that the heart rate did not change after sildenafil in our study (Table 2) suggests that sympathetic activation is not the basis for the observed increase in the cardiac index (Figure 2C). The data suggest that sildenafil increases cardiac index because of its selective pulmonary vasodilatory effects and the resulting reduction in right ventricular afterload.
Another important finding of this study is that iNO and sildenafil have additive vasodilatory effects in the pulmonary but not the systemic circulation (Table 2, Figures 1 and 2). The mechanism for this might be related to the synergistic effects of iNO and sildenafil on serum cGMP levels (Figure 3). The data suggest that NO 80 ppm, which presently is usually the maximum dose used in acute vasodilator testing, is not as effective in lowering pulmonary vascular resistance alone as it is in combination with sildenafil. In fact, in patients No. 2 and No. 13, iNO 80 ppm had no effect in pulmonary vascular resistance, whereas sildenafil caused a 21% and a 32% decrease, respectively. Although the standard use of iNO in the assessment of these patients suggested that they were nonresponders, the use of sildenafil suggested that they might indeed be responders to acute pulmonary vasodilators. This finding may have important prognostic and therapeutic implications for patients with pulmonary hypertension.
The dose of sildenafil used in the present study is smaller than the 100 mg that recently has been used in acute hemodynamic studies involving sildenafil,19,29 although it is in the range used for erectile dysfunction (50 to 100 mg).16 Wilkens et al18 very recently showed that the maximal hemodynamic effects of sildenafil on the human pulmonary circulation were achieved with a 25 mg dose. They also showed that maximal hemodynamic effects were achieved within 30 minutes after intake.18 Furthermore, newer phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors that are perhaps more potent and specific than sildenafil are presently under development.30,31
This study has several limitations. First, because the disease is rare, the sample size is relatively small. However, with an estimated incidence of 1 case per 1 000 000, this study reflects one third of all Canadians that will develop PAH in 1 year.6 In addition, we did not establish the maximal duration of the pulmonary vasodilatation induced by sildenafil. Pharmacokinetic studies are needed to clarify this important issue in this particular disease state, especially because, on the basis of our findings, sildenafil might be a good candidate for long-term treatment of pulmonary hypertension. More studies are also needed to establish the safety of sildenafil in terms of systemic hemodynamics in patients with severe pulmonary hypertension. Although none of the patients in this study experienced a decrease in the systemic arterial pressure, it is theoretically possible that patients that have fixed pulmonary hypertension and are unable to increase their cardiac output might become hypotensive with sildenafil.
The simplicity and safety of the short-term administration of sildenafil versus iNO and its possible superiority over iNO in terms of its effects on cardiac index and wedge pressure suggest a role for sildenafil in the evaluation and treatment of patients with pulmonary hypertension and support the need for additional studies of its long-term use.
| Acknowledgments |
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| Footnotes |
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Received December 29, 2001; revision received March 5, 2002; accepted March 12, 2002.
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H. F. Nadrous, P. A. Pellikka, M. J. Krowka, K. L. Swanson, N. Chaowalit, P. A. Decker, and J. H. Ryu Pulmonary Hypertension in Patients With Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Chest, October 1, 2005; 128(4): 2393 - 2399. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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E. Fung, R. R. Fiscus, A. P. C. Yim, G. D. Angelini, and A. A. Arifi The Potential Use of Type-5 Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors in Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery Chest, October 1, 2005; 128(4): 3065 - 3073. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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F. Ladha, S. Bonnet, F. Eaton, K. Hashimoto, G. Korbutt, and B. Thebaud Sildenafil Improves Alveolar Growth and Pulmonary Hypertension in Hyperoxia-induced Lung Injury Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., September 15, 2005; 172(6): 750 - 756. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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L. J. Rubin and D. B. Badesch Evaluation and Management of the Patient with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Ann Intern Med, August 16, 2005; 143(4): 282 - 292. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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J. Wharton, J. W. Strange, G. M. O. Moller, E. J. Growcott, X. Ren, A. P. Franklyn, S. C. Phillips, and M. R. Wilkins Antiproliferative Effects of Phosphodiesterase Type 5 Inhibition in Human Pulmonary Artery Cells Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., July 1, 2005; 172(1): 105 - 113. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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C. A. Dias-Junior, D. C. Souza-Costa, T. Zerbini, J. B. T. da Rocha, R. F. Gerlach, and J. E. Tanus-Santos The Effect of Sildenafil on Pulmonary Embolism-Induced Oxidative Stress and Pulmonary Hypertension Anesth. Analg., July 1, 2005; 101(1): 115 - 120. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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T. Humpl, J. T. Reyes, H. Holtby, D. Stephens, and I. Adatia Beneficial Effect of Oral Sildenafil Therapy on Childhood Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Twelve-Month Clinical Trial of a Single-Drug, Open-Label, Pilot Study Circulation, June 21, 2005; 111(24): 3274 - 3280. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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J. Ng, S. J. Finney, R. Shulman, G. J. Bellingan, M. Singer, and P. A. Glynne Treatment of pulmonary hypertension in the general adult intensive care unit: a role for oral sildenafil? Br. J. Anaesth., June 1, 2005; 94(6): 774 - 777. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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J. J. Lepore, A. Maroo, L. M. Bigatello, G. W. Dec, W. M. Zapol, K. D. Bloch, and M. J. Semigran Hemodynamic Effects of Sildenafil in Patients With Congestive Heart Failure and Pulmonary Hypertension: Combined Administration With Inhaled Nitric Oxide Chest, May 1, 2005; 127(5): 1647 - 1653. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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A. J Lee, T. B Chiao, and M. P Tsang Sildenafil for Pulmonary Hypertension Ann. Pharmacother., May 1, 2005; 39(5): 869 - 884. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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A. Das, L. Xi, and R. C. Kukreja Phosphodiesterase-5 Inhibitor Sildenafil Preconditions Adult Cardiac Myocytes against Necrosis and Apoptosis: ESSENTIAL ROLE OF NITRIC OXIDE SIGNALING J. Biol. Chem., April 1, 2005; 280(13): 12944 - 12955. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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A Rashid and D Ivy Severe paediatric pulmonary hypertension: new management strategies Arch. Dis. Child., January 1, 2005; 90(1): 92 - 98. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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S. M. Lowson Alternatives to nitric oxide Br. Med. Bull., November 5, 2004; 70(1): 119 - 131. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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E. A. Palmieri, F. Affuso, S. Fazio, and D. Lembo Tadalafil in Primary Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Ann Intern Med, November 2, 2004; 141(9): 743 - 744. [Full Text] [PDF] |
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H. A. Ghofrani, R. Voswinckel, F. Reichenberger, H. Olschewski, P. Haredza, B. Karadas, R. T. Schermuly, N. Weissmann, W. Seeger, and F. Grimminger Differences in hemodynamic and oxygenation responses to three different phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension: A randomized prospective study J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., October 6, 2004; 44(7): 1488 - 1496. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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S. G. Raja and S. H. Nayak Sildenafil: Emerging Cardiovascular Indications Ann. Thorac. Surg., October 1, 2004; 78(4): 1496 - 1506. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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O. Pauvert, S. Bonnet, E. Rousseau, R. Marthan, and J.-P. Savineau Sildenafil alters calcium signaling and vascular tone in pulmonary arteries from chronically hypoxic rats Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol, September 1, 2004; 287(3): L577 - L583. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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W.-R. Chou, P.-H. Kuo, J.-C. Shih, and P.-C. Yang A 31-Year-Old Pregnant Woman With Progressive Exertional Dyspnea and Differential Cyanosis Chest, August 1, 2004; 126(2): 638 - 641. [Full Text] [PDF] |
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B. P. Madden, A. Sheth, T. B. L. Ho, J. E. S. Park, and R. R. Kanagasabay Potential role for sildenafil in the management of perioperative pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular dysfunction after cardiac surgery Br. J. Anaesth., July 1, 2004; 93(1): 155 - 156. [Full Text] [PDF] |
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D. B. Badesch, S. H. Abman, G. S. Ahearn, R. J. Barst, D. C. McCrory, G. Simonneau, and V. V. McLaughlin Medical Therapy For Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: ACCP Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines Chest, July 1, 2004; 126(1_suppl): 35S - 62S. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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F. Ichinose, J. D. Roberts Jr, and W. M. Zapol Inhaled Nitric Oxide: A Selective Pulmonary Vasodilator: Current Uses and Therapeutic Potential Circulation, June 29, 2004; 109(25): 3106 - 3111. [Full Text] [PDF] |
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H. A. Ghofrani, J. Pepke-Zaba, J. A. Barbera, R. Channick, A. M. Keogh, M. A. Gomez-Sanchez, M. Kneussl, and F. Grimminger Nitric oxide pathway and phosphodiesterase inhibitors in pulmonary arterial hypertension J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., June 16, 2004; 43(12_Suppl_S): 68S - 72S. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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L. J. Webster, E. D. Michelakis, T. Davis, and S. L. Archer Use of Sildenafil for Safe Improvement of Erectile Function and Quality of Life in Men With New York Heart Association Classes II and III Congestive Heart Failure: A Prospective, Placebo-Controlled, Double-blind Crossover Trial Arch Intern Med, March 8, 2004; 164(5): 514 - 520. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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G. W Mikhail, S. K Prasad, W. Li, P. Rogers, A. H Chester, S. Bayne, D. Stephens, M. Khan, J.S.R Gibbs, T. W Evans, et al. Clinical and haemodynamic effects of sildenafil in pulmonary hypertension: acute and mid-term effects Eur. Heart J., March 1, 2004; 25(5): 431 - 436. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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K. Abe, H. Shimokawa, K. Morikawa, T. Uwatoku, K. Oi, Y. Matsumoto, T. Hattori, Y. Nakashima, K. Kaibuchi, K. Sueishi, et al. Long-Term Treatment With a Rho-Kinase Inhibitor Improves Monocrotaline-Induced Fatal Pulmonary Hypertension in Rats Circ. Res., February 20, 2004; 94(3): 385 - 393. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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R. T. Schermuly, K. P. Kreisselmeier, H. A. Ghofrani, H. Yilmaz, G. Butrous, L. Ermert, M. Ermert, N. Weissmann, F. Rose, A. Guenther, et al. Chronic Sildenafil Treatment Inhibits Monocrotaline-induced Pulmonary Hypertension in Rats Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., January 1, 2004; 169(1): 39 - 45. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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R. C Kukreja, R. Ockaili, F. Salloum, and L. Xi Sildenafil-induced cardioprotection in rabbits Cardiovasc Res, December 1, 2003; 60(3): 700 - 701. [Full Text] [PDF] |
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S. Rosenkranz, F. Diet, T. Karasch, J. Weihrauch, K. Wassermann, and E. Erdmann Sildenafil Improved Pulmonary Hypertension and Peripheral Blood Flow in a Patient with Scleroderma-Associated Lung Fibrosis and the Raynaud Phenomenon Ann Intern Med, November 18, 2003; 139(10): 871 - 873. [Full Text] [PDF] |
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E. D. Michelakis, W. Tymchak, M. Noga, L. Webster, X.-C. Wu, D. Lien, S.-H. Wang, D. Modry, and S. L. Archer Long-Term Treatment With Oral Sildenafil Is Safe and Improves Functional Capacity and Hemodynamics in Patients With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Circulation, October 28, 2003; 108(17): 2066 - 2069. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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V. Sauzeau, M. Rolli-Derkinderen, S. Lehoux, G. Loirand, and P. Pacaud Sildenafil Prevents Change in RhoA Expression Induced by Chronic Hypoxia in Rat Pulmonary Artery Circ. Res., October 3, 2003; 93(7): 630 - 637. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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N. H. Kim, R. N. Channick, and L. J. Rubin Successful Withdrawal of Long-term Epoprostenol Therapy for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Chest, October 1, 2003; 124(4): 1612 - 1615. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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S. Klotz, M. C. Deng, D. Hanafy, C. Schmid, J. Stypmann, C. Schmidt, D. Hammel, and H. H. Scheld Reversible pulmonary hypertension in heart transplant candidates--pretransplant evaluation and outcome after orthotopic heart transplantation Eur J Heart Fail, October 1, 2003; 5(5): 645 - 653. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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S. Bhatia, R. P. Frantz, C. J. Severson, L. A. Durst, and M. D. McGoon Immediate and Long-term Hemodynamic and Clinical Effects of Sildenafil in Patients With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Receiving Vasodilator Therapy Mayo Clin. Proc., October 1, 2003; 78(10): 1207 - 1213. [Abstract] [PDF] |
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I. Schulze-Neick, P. Hartenstein, J. Li, B. Stiller, N. Nagdyman, M. Hubler, G. Butrous, A. Petros, P. Lange, and A. N. Redington Intravenous Sildenafil Is a Potent Pulmonary Vasodilator in Children With Congenital Heart Disease Circulation, September 9, 2003; 108(90101): II-167 - 173. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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S. M. Lowson Nitric Oxide Signaling and Clinical Alternatives to Nitric Oxide Seminars in Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia, September 1, 2003; 7(3): 239 - 252. [Abstract] [PDF] |
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D. H. Maurice, D. Palmer, D. G. Tilley, H. A. Dunkerley, S. J. Netherton, D. R. Raymond, H. S. Elbatarny, and S. L. Jimmo Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterase Activity, Expression, and Targeting in Cells of the Cardiovascular System Mol. Pharmacol., September 1, 2003; 64(3): 533 - 546. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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S. D. Rybalkin, C. Yan, K. E. Bornfeldt, and J. A. Beavo Cyclic GMP Phosphodiesterases and Regulation of Smooth Muscle Function Circ. Res., August 22, 2003; 93(4): 280 - 291. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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T. Reffelmann and R. A. Kloner Effects of sildenafil on myocardial infarct size, microvascular function, and acute ischemic left ventricular dilation Cardiovasc Res, August 1, 2003; 59(2): 441 - 449. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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T. Reffelmann and R. A. Kloner Therapeutic Potential of Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibition for Cardiovascular Disease Circulation, July 15, 2003; 108(2): 239 - 244. [Full Text] [PDF] |
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A. Sebkhi, J. W. Strange, S. C. Phillips, J. Wharton, and M. R. Wilkins Phosphodiesterase Type 5 as a Target for the Treatment of Hypoxia-Induced Pulmonary Hypertension Circulation, July 1, 2003; 107(25): 3230 - 3235. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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A. J Peacock Treatment of pulmonary hypertension BMJ, April 19, 2003; 326(7394): 835 - 836. [Full Text] [PDF] |
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S. Mehta Sildenafil for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Exciting, But Protection Required Chest, April 1, 2003; 123(4): 989 - 992. [Full Text] [PDF] |
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L. Zhao, N. A. Mason, J. W. Strange, H. Walker, and M. R. Wilkins Beneficial Effects of Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibition in Pulmonary Hypertension Are Influenced by Natriuretic Peptide Activity Circulation, January 21, 2003; 107(2): 234 - 237. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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J. Oliver, D. J Webb, S. Patole, and J. Travadi Sildenafil for "blue babies" BMJ, November 16, 2002; 325(7373): 1174 - 1174. [Full Text] |
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W. R. Franek, Y. C. Chowdary, X. Lin, M. Hu, E. J. Miller, J. A. Kazzaz, P. Razzano, J. Romashko III, J. M. Davis, P. Narula, et al. Suppression of Nuclear Factor-kappa B Activity by Nitric Oxide and Hyperoxia in Oxygen-resistant Cells J. Biol. Chem., November 1, 2002; 277(45): 42694 - 42700. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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