Complications of Right Heart Catheterization in Patients ≥70 Years of Age With Suspected Pulmonary Hypertension: Experience From a Tertiary Care Center

Right heart catheterization (RHC) represents the gold standard diagnostic approach for pulmonary hypertension (PH). Historically, the complication rates of RHC are known to be low. The study aimed to evaluate the indications for performing RHC and the occurrence of adverse events related to the procedure in patients > over 70 years of age in a Mexican Tertiary Care Center. We conducted a retrospective single-center registry from July 2017 to July 2022. A total of 517 patients with suspected PH underwent RHC. The cohort included patients <70 (n = 427) and >= 70 years of age (n = 90). Adverse events were classified as major (eg, death, pneumothorax, and carotid artery puncture) and minor (eg, atrial arrhythmia, superior vena cava dissection, incidental arterial puncture, and local hematoma). Appropriate hemodynamic parameters were recorded. No report of major adverse events in the entire cohort. In the <70 years age group, 9 minor events, and 3 minor events were in the >= 70-year-old patients (P < 0.0001). There was a significant difference in the measurement of mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) between the <70 years old vs >= 70 years old (P < 0.001); there was a significant difference in right atrial pressures: 4.71 +/- 3.14 mmHg in the <70-year-old vs 4.07 +/- 1.94 mmHg for the >= 70-year-old group (P = 0.014). Our findings suggest that RHC can be safely performed in patients aged >= 70 years using different vascular access routes without significant major complications.

Automated summary

This study evaluated the indications for performing RHC and the occurrence of adverse events related to the procedure in patients aged >= 70 years in a Mexican Tertiary Care Center. The findings suggest that RHC can be safely performed in patients aged >= 70 years without significant major complications.