Prognostic value of TAPSE after therapy optimisation in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension is independent of the haemodynamic effects of therapy

Objective: To evaluate the prognostic significance of right ventricular function assessed by echocardiography after start or escalation of targeted therapy in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Methods: Study design: longitudinal study. Setting: tertiary referral centre for pulmonary hypertension. Patients: 81 consecutive patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (33 naive and 48 prevalent). Interventions: right heart catheterisation and echocardiography performed prior to starting or escalating targeted therapy and repeated in 55 patients after 4-12 months of therapy. Main outcome measure: survival after follow-up examinations. Results: 11 patients died and 7 were lost to follow-up during the first year; 8 patients underwent first follow-up evaluation beyond 1 year. 55 patients were re-evaluated after therapy; during the subsequent follow-up period of 25 months, 9 patients died, 7 worsened from WHO I/II to III/IV and 15 remained in WHO III/IV despite therapy. A baseline tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) >= 15 mm was associated with a lower risk of death (HR=0.32; 95% CI 0.12 to 0.83, p=0.012). Attaining a TAPSE >= 15 mm after therapy was associated with a significantly lower risk of death or clinical worsening (HR=0.2; 95% CI 0.1 to 0.6, p=0.002) and a lower risk of death which approached statistical significance (HR=0.3; 95% CI 0.2 to 1.1, p=0.075). Per cent changes in TAPSE were loosely related to changes in pulmonary vascular resistances after therapy (R=0.37). Conclusions: In patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, the evaluation of right ventricular function by TAPSE after targeted therapy is useful to predict subsequent prognosis, regardless of the haemodynamic effects of therapy.