KSVGH Pulmonary Hypertension Expert Center
The Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital (KSVGH) has been actively engaged in the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary hypertension since its establishment. We performed right heart catheterization for diagnosis since decades ago. Initially, traditional treatments, such as calcium blockers, diuretics or digoxin, etc, were used to provide patient care. The unresponsive patients were referred to lung transplants. With the development of science technology, KSVGH Pulmonary Hypertension Expert Center provided pulmonary hypertension targeted therapy for pulmonary hypertension patients since 1993. KSVGH Pulmonary Hypertension Expert Center is one of the leading pulmonary hypertension medical centers in Taiwan. The KSVGH Pulmonary Hypertension Expert Center has accumulated treatment experience for more than twenty years.
Clinical Services
KSVGH Pulmonary Hypertension Expert Center integrates various specialties and provides full spectrum services for different specialties. In addition to cardiologists, the center also includes thoracic surgeons for lung transplantation treatment; rheumatologists for autoimmune disease diagnosis and treatment; intensivist for critical care; pulmonologists for the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary diseases; gastroenterologists for the diagnosis and treatment of portal pulmonary hypertension; radiologists assist in the diagnosis of patients; pediatric cardiologists assist in the diagnosis and treatment of children with pulmonary hypertension; psychiatrists assist in psychological treatment of patients; general medical practitioners for palliative care; and rehabilitation physicians for rehabilitation treatment. In order to take into account the care of body, mind and spirit of patients, KSVGH Pulmonary Hypertension Expert Center integrates cardiopulmonary rehabilitators, pharmacists, nurses (including intensive care units and specialized wards), social workers and nutritionists to provide holistic health care. To improve the quality of treatment for patients, the center also integrates patients’ care from emergency department, community, hospital ward, intensive care units, outpatient department and discharge services to provide a comprehensive medical network for patients with pulmonary hypertension.
Research
KSVGH Pulmonary Hypertension Expert Center published more than 20 articles from bench to clinical research in international medical journals. The center also participated in many clinical global trials as following.
SELECT : A Study to Find Out if Selexipag is Effective and Safe in Patients With Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension When the Disease is Inoperable or Persistent/Recurrent After Surgery and/or Interventional Treatment (SELECT)
GRIPHON: the Prostacyclin (PGI2) Receptor Agonist in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (GRIPHON) study
PATENT: the phase 3 Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Soluble Guanylate Cyclase–Stimulator Trial 1 (PATENT-1)
A DUE: Clinical Study to Compare the Efficacy and Safety of Macitentan and Tadalafil Monotherapies With the Corresponding Fixed-dose Combination Therapy in Subjects With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH)
MACiTEPH: A Study to Evaluate Efficacy and Safety of Macitentan 75 mg in Inoperable or Persistent/Recurrent Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension (MACiTEPH)
RESPITE: switching to riociguat in pulmonary arterial hypertension patients with inadequate response to phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors
PUH3001
UT
The multinational study of GRIPHON study, which was the first oral selective prostaglandin IP receptor enhancer Selexipag, was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2015. Among patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (80 % of patients already treated with other pulmonary hypertension drugs, including endothelin receptor antagonists, phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors, or both), the risk of the primary composite end point of death or a complication related to pulmonary arterial hypertension was significantly lower with selexipag than with placebo. There was no significant difference in mortality between the two study groups. At present, Selexipag had been approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in the United States and Taiwan. KSVGH Pulmonary Hypertension Expert Center is one of the only two medical centers in Taiwan invited to participate in this multinational global research. This new drug has been used by patients with pulmonary hypertension in the world and in Taiwan, promoting the improvement of the quality of pulmonary hypertension care in the world.
Education
Since 1995, the center has held pulmonary hypertension critical care courses every year, providing the latest information on pulmonary hypertension treatment. At the same time, the center also held relevant nursing care courses for nursing care. In several meeting, including Chief Round, Grand Round or other teaching meeting, our center taught young physicians regarding the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary hypertension, so that the patients of pulmonary hypertension could be identified earlier. The center cooperates with the Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Care Association to carry out patient and related health education activities.