Use of TAPSE/PASP ratio in pulmonary arterial hypertension: An easy shortcut in a congested road

In pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a declining right ventricular (RV) function with progressive uncoupling to the pulmonary circulation (PC) is a turning point of clinical worsening with high prognostic implications [ [1] Vonk Noordegraaf A. Westerhof B.E. Westerhof N. The relationship between the right ventricle and its load in pulmonary hypertension. J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 2017; 69: 236-243 Crossref PubMed Scopus (375) Google Scholar ]. RV to PC coupling refers to the relationship between ventricular contractility and afterload obtained by the gold standard, i.e. pressure-volume analysis [ [2] Guazzi M. Naeije R. Pulmonary hypertension in heart failure: pathophysiology, pathobiology, and emerging clinical perspectives. J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 2017; 69: 1718-1734 Crossref PubMed Scopus (178) Google Scholar ], and its objective metric is the ratio of ventricular elastance (Ees) to the arterial one (Ea). Relevance of the TAPSE/PASP ratio in pulmonary arterial hypertensionInternational Journal of CardiologyVol. 266PreviewThe ratio of echocardiography-derived tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) and pulmonary arterial systolic pressure (PASP) has recently been reported as an independent prognostic parameter in heart failure. The TAPSE/PASP ratio has not been evaluated in detail in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Full-Text PDF