Reflecting on Progress in PH and
Appreciating the Contributions of
Our Physicians
The theme of this year-end issue is “emergence” as we survey
the ever-expanding role of new therapies, from emerging combinations
to new orally administered agents to advances in
prostanoid treatment. As the acronyms of new trials have worked
their way into our lexicon, we have grown accustomed to refer to
new studies such as VISION, TRIUMPH, COMPASS, FREEDOM,
and PHIRST, and await the latest results that will help guide
patient management choices in the future. Emergence is the theme of the
contents, but it also applies to the role of physicians on our Editorial Boards as
we welcome physicians who have stepped forward to help guide the journal in
the years ahead and express appreciation to those who have contributed their
time and energy.
Medical journals thrive on an infusion of new ideas reflected in the transition
to new editors-in-chief and editorial advisory boards. By passing the torch to a
new group of editors we promote an even greater exchange of ideas and keep
the level of enthusiasm as high as it can be for producing the most comprehensive
source of information on pulmonary hypertension available to practicing
physicians. Somewhat like members of Congress but, thankfully, in a completely
different arena, we also must observe term limits. In our case we have a selfimposed
2-year limit on the verge of expiring, and I wish to welcome physicians
who will help guide this journal through the end of 2008.
I am pleased to welcome a new Editor-in-Chief, Ronald J. Oudiz, MD, beginning
with the next issue of Advances in Pulmonary Hypertension. Dr Oudiz is an
exemplary physician, a distinguished colleague, and a close personal friend who
has demonstrated a tremendously strong commitment to the pulmonary hypertension
community for many years. In turning over the job of leading the journal,
I am confident that he will strive for the same editorial independence, unbiased
perspective, and excellence that we have established over the first 5 years of the
journal’s existence and that characterize our approach to developing scientific
content.
Dr Oudiz has already contributed in many ways to the selection of relevant
and timely topics and to development of our content. His pivotal role in programs
offered by the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) speaks volumes
for the dedication he has shown to medical research, patient advocacy, and
quality of care. I wish him well in this new endeavor during 2007 and 2008.
No journal can succeed without a supporting cast of physicians whose
experience at the bench and bedside helps to create reference points from which
we can select appropriate topics and a context for chronicling the evolution in
care. During the last 2 years we have been graced with the contribution of three
outstanding clinicians who served as Associate Editors: Ramona Doyle, MD,
Karen Fagan, MD, and Olivier Sitbon, MD. We thank them for their service to
the journal and helping us in the kind of peer review essential to the journal’s
integrity.
We are also pleased to welcome back to our Editorial Advisory Board Richard
Channick, MD, as an Associate Editor and Editor-in-Chief Elect. His enthusiastic
participation in Roundtable discussions over the years has given readers a clear
and thoughtful perspective on important clinical issues. Similarly, we welcome Erika Berman Rosenzweig, MD, to the team of Associate
Editors. Her focus and enthusiasm for the journal are
refreshing and will help guide content in 2007.
We will benefit also from new input by physicians who
are joining our Editorial Board, including Kristin Highland,
MD, Ioana Preston, MD, Zeenat Safdar, MD, Rajan Saggar,
MD, and Francisco Soto, MD. They will be taking over from
physicians whose contribution as Editorial Board members
is also much appreciated: Gregory Ahearn, MD, Jacques
Benisty, MD, Raymond Benza, MD, and Jeffrey Edelman,
MD.
We have seen significant progress in our effort to provide
more hope to patients with pulmonary hypertension
and I am honored to have been able to work with my colleagues
and serve as Editor-in-Chief during the last 2
years. I also look forward to continued involvement with
the journal and its outstanding educational program for
more than 30,000 physicians engaged in pulmonary
hypertension care.
I am sure I speak for all of our physicians and PHA
staff in extending our best wishes for a joyous holiday
season and a healthy and happy new year.
Valerie V. McLaughlin, MD
Editor-in-Chief
Articles
Advances in Pulmonary Hypertension,
Winter 2006, Vol. 5, No. 4
Profiles in Pulmonary Hypertension:Victor Tapson, MD: Clinical Trialist,
Role Model, and Mentor to the
Next Generation of PH Specialists (PDF)
If they ever award a patent for passion
in pulmonary hypertension research,
Victor Tapson, MD, is favored to
receive it. But with his characteristic
generosity of spirit and keen sense of
collegiality he will share it with every
physician he meets. Ask any researcher
who knows him and he or she
will offer similar personal impressions
regarding his boundless enthusiasm
and excitement for his work in pulmonary hypertension
and thromboembolic disease, work that established
him at a relatively early age as a preeminent investigator
in each of these fields.
Oral Therapies for PAH: State-of-the-Art and
Investigational Approaches (PDF) The development of intravenous epoprostenol was an exciting
advance in treating pulmonary arterial hypertension,
offering patients improved functional capacity and prolonged
survival. However, this form of therapy is complicated,
requiring an indwelling central venous catheter, with
attendant risks of infection, thrombosis, and dislodgement.
The desire to simplify therapy and improve safety has led to
a variety of oral agents, generally classified as endothelin
receptor antagonists and phosphodiesterase inhibitors. An
oral prostanoid is also under development.
Combination Therapy for PAH:
Current Rationale, Future Concepts (PDF)
We will briefly review
the initial clinical trials and then more recent data involving
subcutaneous and intravenous treprostinil (Remodulin, previously
UT-15), and then focus on newer data involving intravenous
treprostinil. Subsequently, we will provide an update
on inhaled prostanoids. Although the clinical trials for oral
treprostinil are only now getting under way, we will offer the
background and rationale for these studies.
Advances in Prostanoid Therapy:
New Studies, New Methods of Delivery (PDF)
Two decades ago, pulmonary arterial hypertension was considered
an untreatable disease. With the introduction of effective
therapies this situation has changed. Today, endothelin receptor
antagonists together with prostanoids and phosphodiesterase-
5 (PDE5) inhibitors are the mainstays of treatment. All
these drugs lead to hemodynamic and functional improvement
within 3 to 4 months, and there is evidence to suggest that they
also delay disease progression. Unfortunately, none of the currently
available treatments offers a chance for cure, and many
patients eventually experience progressive disease despite
active treatment.
Pulmonary Hypertension
Roundtable:Recapping 5 Years,
Exploring Emerging Approaches (PDF) This discussion was moderated by Vallerie V.
McLaughlin, MD, Associate Professor of
Medicine and Director, Pulmonary Hypertension
Program, University of Michigan Health System,
Ann Arbor, Michigan. Panel members included
Richard N. Channick, MD, Associate Professor
of Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care
Division, University of California, San Diego
Medical Center, San Diego, California; Ivan M.
Robbins, MD, Director of the Pulmonary
Hypertension Center, Vanderbilt University,
Nashville, Tennessee; and Victor F. Tapson, MD,
Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary
and Critical Care Medicine, Duke University
Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.
Editor-in-Chief Ronald J. Oudiz, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
UCLA School of Medicine
Director, Liu Center for Pulmonary Hypertension
Division of Cardiology
Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Torrance, California
Immediate Past Editor Vallerie V. McLaughlin, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Director, Pulmonary Hypertension Program
University of Michigan Health System
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Editor-in-Chief Elect Richard Channick, MD
Professor of Clinical Medicine
Pulmonary and Critical Care Division
University of California, San Diego Medical Center
San Diego, California
Associate Editors Erika Berman Rosenzweig, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Department of Pediatrics
Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons
New York, New York
Robert Frantz, MD
Consultant in Cardiovascular
Diseases and Internal Medicine
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine
Rochester, Minnesota
Srinivas Murali, MD, FACC
Professor of Medicine
Drexel University College of Medicine
Director, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine
Medical Director, Gerald McGinnis Cardiovascular Institute
Allegheny General Hospital
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Publisher
Pulmonary Hypertension Association
Jack Stibbs, Board Chair
Rino Aldrighetti, President
Rachel Pokorney, Medical Services Associate Director
Publishing Staff
Stu Chapman, Executive Editor
Susan Chapman, Managing Editor
Heidi Green, Associate Editor
Gloria Catalano, Production Director
Michael McClain, Design Director
Editorial Offices
Advances in Pulmonary Hypertension
DataMedica
424 Dune Road Westhampton Beach, NY 11978
Tel: 631-288-7733
Fax: 631- 288-7744
Advances in Pulmonary Hypertension is circulated to
cardiologists, pulmonologists, rheumatologists and other selected
physicians by the Pulmonary Hypertension
Association
. The contents of the
articles are
independently determined ly the Editor
and the Editorial Advisory
Board.
Editorial Mission Advances in Pulmonary Hypertension is committed
to help physicians in their clinical decision
making by informing them of important
trends affecting their practice. Analyzing the
impact of new findings and covering current
information in the peer-reviewed literature,
Advances in Pulmonary Hypertension is published
four times a year. Advances in Pulmonary
Hypertension is the official journal
of the Pulmonary Hypertension Association.
Each article in this journal has been reviewed
and approved by members of the Editorial
Advisory Board.
Editorial Board
Todd Bull, MD
Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
Denver, Colorado
Murali Chakinala, MD
Director, Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic
Washington University School of Medicine
St. Louis, Missouri
Kristin Highland, MD
Assistant Professor
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care
Director, Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic
Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Jim Maloney, MD
Associate Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
Denver, Colorado
Ioana Preston, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Tufts - New England Medical Center
Boston, Massachusetts
Zeenat Safdar, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Department of Medicine, Pulmonary & Critical Care Section
Pulmonary Hypertension Center
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas
Rajan Saggar, MD
Assistant Professor
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care
Medicine and Hospitalists
David Geffen School of Medicine
UCLA
Los Angeles, California
Robert Schilz, DO, PhD
Medical Director of Lung
Transplantation and Pulmonary Vascular Disease
University Hospital of Cleveland
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, Ohio
Francisco Soto, MD, MS
Assistant Professor
Director, Pulmonary Hypertension Program
Medical College of Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Roxana Sulica, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Director, Beth Israel Pulmonary Hypertension Program
Beth Israel Medical Center
New York, New York
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information provided on the PHA website is provided for general information
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with qualified professionals who are familiar with your individual
needs.
The theme of this year-end issue is “emergence” as we survey
the ever-expanding role of new therapies, from emerging combinations
to new orally administered agents to advances in
prostanoid treatment. As the acronyms of new trials have worked
their way into our lexicon, we have grown accustomed to refer to
new studies such as VISION, TRIUMPH, COMPASS, FREEDOM,
and PHIRST, and await the latest results that will help guide
patient management choices in the future. Emergence is the theme of the
contents, but it also applies to the role of physicians on our Editorial Boards as
we welcome physicians who have stepped forward to help guide the journal in
the years ahead and express appreciation to those who have contributed their
time and energy.
