The Pulmonary Hypertension Program at the University of Michigan Frankel Cardiovascular Center is the largest and most experienced program in the state, and one of the largest in the country. We are a comprehensive, single resource for the care and treatment of patients who live with this challenging disease. In addition, we are accredited as a Center of Comprehensive Care (CCC) through the Pulmonary Hypertension Care Centers (PHCC) program.

To schedule an appointment to discuss your pulmonary hypertension or any other heart and vascular issue, call us at 888-287-1082 or visit the Make a Cardiovascular Appointment page.

Properly diagnosing this disease, as well as classifying the exact type of pulmonary hypertension, is critical for the best treatment options. The earlier a patient is diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension, the better the chances for an optimal treatment solution. With shortness of breath being the most common symptom of pulmonary hypertension, it’s easy to get misdiagnosed.

We have multiple techniques to diagnose pulmonary hypertension, including:

• Right-heart catheterization
• Pulmonary function test (to measure lung function)
• Ventilation/perfusion scan (to measure air and blood flow to the lungs)
• Electrocardiogram (EKG)
• Blood test
• Chest X-ray
• Stress test

While there is no cure for pulmonary hypertension, thanks to advances in the treatment over the past decade, more effective options are available to patients than ever before.

Our breadth of experience with all types, stages and severities of pulmonary hypertension means we have the ability to properly treat our patients using the highly specialized and complicated medical therapies for this condition.

Due to the complex nature of this disease, every patient’s treatment protocol must be tailored and carefully monitored on a regular basis. Our physicians and staff are skilled in determining which medical therapies will work best for individual patients, and to adjust treatment as needed. We are also involved in multiple investigational trials for new treatments, which means our patients have access to the latest and best options.

Our treatments include:

• High-dose calcium channel blocker therapy:  Increases the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart, while reducing its workload.
• Prostacyclin therapy: Given intravenously, subcutaneously or inhaled, prostacyclins help dilate (open) blood vessels in the lungs and improve the function of the heart. This is a complex and aggressive treatment.
• Oral PAH specific therapy, including endothelin receptor antagonists and phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors: A targeted therapy to slow the progression of PH and possibly reverse some of the damage to the heart and lungs.
• Pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA): A surgical procedure to remove blood clots from the lungs of patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). The University of Michigan is currently the only institution in the state, and one of only a few in the region, to offer this extremely complex therapy.
• Balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA): A procedure in which a deflated balloon is directed to the diseased lung vessels and inflated to break up blood clots and restore blood flow. 
• Lung transplantation
• Clinical Trials: Investigational studies providing patients with access to the latest pulmonary hypertension treatment and management therapies.

Within the last decade, great advances have been achieved in improving existing treatments as well as the creation of new options for pulmonary hypertension. The University of Michigan has been involved in many of the clinical trials that have led to these discoveries. We lead the state in experience and volume of current enrolling clinical trials, and our physicians are often in leadership roles on these studies.

Research gives patients direct access to the latest therapies to treat and manage pulmonary hypertension. Clinical trials include TROPHY-1, an evaluation of the TIVUS System for pulmonary artery denervation in patients with pulmonary hypertension, and Novel Screening Strategies for Scleroderma-Associated Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, a study examining whether tests performed during exercise can improve the ability to detect early pulmonary arterial hypertension in patients with scleroderma.

U-M also serves as the Data Coordinating Center for the Pulmonary Hypertension Breakthrough Initiative, a network of multidisciplinary, collaborative transplant and research centers that distributes stored clinical specimens and relevant data to researchers for use in groundbreaking research to better understand pulmonary arterial hypertension.

• High Blood Pressure Information Guide
• Pulmonary Hypertension Information Guide