Non-operable Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension Clinical Trial
Official title:
A Double Blind Controlled Clinical Study to Investigate the Efficacy and Tolerability of Subcutaneous Treprostinil Sodium in Patients With Severe Non-operable Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension (CTREPH)
The primary purpose of this study is to determine the effect on six-minute walking test (6MWT) distance after 24 weeks treatment with subcutaneous (SC) Treprostinil Sodium in patients with Severe (inoperable) Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension.
Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is characterized by non-resolving organized thromboembolic obstructing the pulmonary vascular bed. These thrombi are resistant to thrombolytic therapy and chronic plasmatic anticoagulation. An increase in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), right ventricular overload, and eventually right ventricular failure ensue. The treatment of choice for CTEPH is pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA), providing a potential cure for the disease. However, about 50 % of patients are not candidates for surgery, mainly because of distal location of thromboemboli. Despite recent advances in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), medical treatments have not been recommended for inoperable CTEPH, because of the concept that a predominantly major vessel obstructive arteriopathy would not be suitable for vasodilators. Furthermore, a major drawback of i.v. prostacyclin therapy is the need for a permanent central venous access that increases the risk of infection (0.22-0.68 per patient per year), thrombosis and new major vessel thromboembolism. ;