Management of Acute Pulmonary Hypertensive Crisis in Children With Known Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a disease where the blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries (PAP) is high. PAH increases the risk of adverse events, including death, during and or after procedures. The severity of baseline PAH correlates with the incidence of major complications, such that those with PAP higher than their systemic blood pressure (SBP) had a 8 fold increased risk of complications. These children present for procedures where an acute exacerbation of their chronic illness-termed Pulmonary Hypertensive (PH)crisis, can occur, often resulting in death if not detected and managed expeditiously. Unfortunately there is little data and no consensus in the pediatric literature on how PH crisis should be managed. \--------------------------------------------------------------------------------