Noninvasive Cardiac Output Measurements in Patients With Pulmonary Hypertension Undergoing Right Heart Catheterization With Acute Vasodilator Testing
Noninvasive Cardiac Output Measurements in Patients With Pulmonary Hypertension Undergoing Right Heart Catheterization With Acute Vasodilator Testing
Subjects in this study have been diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension (PH) and their doctors
 have referred them for a right heart catheterization (RHC). Heart catheterization involves
 inserting an IV (a needle with a small tube) into a vein in the neck. A long, narrow tube,
 called a catheter, is guided through the IV into the blood vessel and guided to the heart
 (sometimes this procedure can be done through a vein in the groin instead). Once the catheter
 is in place, small instruments can be inserted into the catheter to measure the pressures in
 different areas of the heart. These measurements can help the doctor diagnose possible
 problems with the heart functioning.

 The purpose of this study is to evaluate the measurements provided by a device, called
 Noninvasive Cardiac Output Monitoring (NICOM). The NICOM device is non-invasive which means
 the investigators do not have to go inside the body to obtain the heart pressure
 measurements. While the device has been approved for use in any patient, it remains possible
 that patients with PH will have differences in the way the device calculates measurements. In
 this study, the investigators will compare the in-the-body (right heart catheterization)
 measurements to the non-invasive, outside-body measurements provided by the NICOM device to
 evaluate any differences.

 The NICOM device is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to measure heart
 pressures. This device is usually used when a patient can't undergo a right heart
 catheterization. In this study, the investigators are using the device to gather heart
 pressure measurements for research during the right heart catheterization procedure that is
 scheduled as part of the patients' normal, routine care. The research data is being used to
 devise better, less invasive ways to assess disease severity, track disease progression and
 evaluate response to therapy. The NICOM device is made by Cheetah Medical.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  18 years old and up

 -  have Pulmonary Hypertension (PH)

 -  Scheduled for cardiac catheterization with right heart catheterization and acute
 vasodilator testing as part of their evaluation of PH

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  unable or unwilling to give informed consent