Pulmonary Hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension (PHT) is high blood pressure in the heart-to-lung system. PHT affects the arteries in the lungs that deliver fresh, oxygenated blood to the right side of your heart. If arteries in the lungs become narrowed, blocked or destroyed, blood has a difficult passing back and forth to the heart causing it to become weak and possibly failing.

OSF HealthCare Cardiovascular Institute focuses on improving quality of life for adults and children diagnosed with vascular disease. While there is no cure for PHT, the main goals for treatment are to control the symptoms and stop the progression of the disease while lowering the risk for heart attack, stroke and other possible complications.

Our staff will help patients manage symptoms by adjusting medications or providing oxygen therapy to achieve an optimal outcome. Patient status can be evaluated by the latest in noninvasive monitoring. The OSF HealthCare Cardiovascular Institute also provides patients with surgery referrals when appropriate. Patient education is a major emphasis for OSF because it enables patients to deal with the lifestyle modifications necessary to live with this chronic condition.

PHT can be an ongoing chronic medical condition requiring careful monitoring and frequent modifications of the medical program. The OSF HealthCare Cardiovascular Institute is staffed by cardiologists and nurse practitioners, assisted by nurses with special training in PHT who are expert in the diagnosis and treatment of this condition.

Learn more about PHT, treatment options and ways to manage the condition.