Best Practices for Right Heart Catheterization in the Diagnosis of Pulmonary Hypertension.

Matusov, Yuri; Kolaitis, Nicholas A; Geft, Dael; DesJardin, Jacqueline; Barnett, Christopher; Hage, Antoine; De Marco, Teresa; Lewis, Michael I · Chest · 2025

review · Level V

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Abstract

Right heart catheterization is the gold standard for the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension. There are variations in practice and several pitfalls introducing errors in diagnosis that can significantly affect treatment. Errors in assessing the correct pulmonary artery wedge pressure can significantly affect accurate classification of patients with pulmonary hypertension and lead to potentially deleterious treatment decisions. This review focuses on best practices in right heart catheterization performance, emphasizing practical and pathophysiological principles to obtain the most accurate result, as well as advanced applications in pulmonary hypertension.

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