Jan Stepanek, Juan M Farina, Ahmed K Mahmoud, Chieh-Ju Chao, Said Alsidawi, Chadi Ayoub, Timothy Barry, Milagros Pereyra, Isabel G Scalia, Mohammed Tiseer Abbas, Rachel E Wraith, Lisa S Brown, Michael S Radavich, Pamela J Curtisi, Patricia C Hartzendorf, Elizabeth M Lasota, Kyley N Umetsu, Jill M Peterson, Kristin E Karlson, Karen Breznak, David F Fortuin, Steven J Lester, Reza Arsanjani
Exposure to high altitude results in hypobaric hypoxia, leading to physiological changes in the cardiovascular system that may result in limiting symptoms, including dyspnea, fatigue, and exercise intolerance. However, it is still unclear why some patients are more susceptible to high-altitude symptoms than others. Hypoxic simulation testing (HST) simulates changes in physiology that occur at a specific altitude by asking the patients to breathe a mixture of gases with decreased oxygen content. This study aimed to determine whether the use of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) during HST can detect the rise in right-sided pressures and the impact of hypoxia on right ventricle (RV) hemodynamics and right to left shunts, thus revealing the underlying causes of high-altitude signs and symptoms...
January 31, 2024: Journal of Imaging