Pharmacotherapy of refractory pulmonary arterial hypertension

Introduction: Treatment of refractory pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is challenging and rarely the focus of reviews. The purpose of this review is to discuss current treatment options of refractory PAH, along with the state of research of several new medications. Areas covered: We conducted a comprehensive PubMed search on the relevant literature on treating PAH, with a focus on approved and investigational interventions for high-risk patients. Our strategy used keywords 'Treatment' AND 'Pulmonary Hypertension,' without date restrictions, ensuring a thorough survey of available literature for our review. Expert opinion: By utilizing serial risk assessment to identify patients remaining intermediate or high-risk, more patients are likely to survive longer. This is done by earlier use of combination or triple therapy with prostacyclin drugs. Current medications for PAH are all essentially vasodilators that improve physiology, but do not truly modify the disease process. The potential application of new investigational medications is exciting as they work by novel pathways likely to change the landscape of refractory PAH treatment.