Biography
Biography: Ehab M. Esheiba
Abstract
Chronic thrombo-embolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is defined as an elevation of the mean pulmonary arterial pressure above 25 mmHg that persists six months after an episode of pulmonary embolism (PE). It occurs an about 2-4% in survivors from PE. The clinical picture, natural history and prognosis may vary from one patient to another. Venous thromboembolism (VTE), including both deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and PE is the third most common cardiovascular illness after acute coronary syndrome and stroke. A 29 year old male patient presented with gradually progressive shortness of breath and fatigue for several months. He had one episode of loss of consciousness. Clinical examination revealed picture of pulmonary hypertension. Further laboratory and imaging confirmed the presence of recent pulmonary embolism and markedly elevated pulmonary arterial pressure, consistent with the diagnosis of CTEPH. In this article, we discussed this clinical case, the diagnostic pathway and the management plan that was followed with the patient till his last follow-up, focusing on guidance on management in the same context. We believe that addressing VTE as a possible regional public health problem should take a multi-dimensional approach targeting the epidemiology of the disease with implementation of cost-effective preventive and therapeutic programs.