The beat goes on

February 07 , 2020

Huntsville Hospital Heart Center recently launched a new Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic staffed and developed by cardiologists Abdul W. Hritani, MD, and James D. Murphy, MD.  The clinic was created in an effort to facilitate referrals and provide a comprehensive evaluation and treatment strategy for these complex patients.

Heart Center Director of Patient Care Karla Neville said the clinic is open to referrals from community physicians. The goal is to provide a seamless referral process to community cardiologists, rheumatologists, pulmonologists and primary care physicians who are often on the frontlines in recognizing these complex patients.

“Our goal is to provide excellent care for these complex patients, and to provide an opportunity for every patient on pulmonary hypertension-specific medication to be evaluated and followed in a comprehensive manner,” Karla said. 

The Heart Center's Echocardiography laboratory, Cardiac Catheterization laboratory and Rehab program have been integrated into the new clinic to facilitate the diagnostic and treatment process.

Pulmonary hypertension is a common disorder causing elevated right sided heart pressures and is most often caused by lung and heart diseases. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), on the other hand, is a rare disorder and occurs secondary to a disease process affecting the lung vessels. PAH is a life-threatening disease that can rapidly deteriorate if misdiagnosed or inadequately treated.

The goal of the new clinic is to identify those with PAH and to tailor an individual treatment strategy to improve symptoms, lifestyle, and survival. Very advanced patients may require referral to a transplant center.