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Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a disease associated with a high morbidity and mortality. There is paucity of data regarding PH from the developing countries including India. Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension is the most important etiological factor in the western world, but PH secondary to rheumatic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and untreated congenital heart disease could well be the predominant causes in developing countries like India. The main objective of the PROKERALA study – Pulmonary hypertension Registry Of Kerala is to collect data regarding the etiology, practice patterns and one-year outcomes of patients diagnosed to have PH. Methods: The study is a hospital-based registry in the state of Kerala supported and funded by the Cardiological Society of India, Kerala Chapter. A total of 77 hospitals have agreed to participate in the registry. PH was defined as systolic pulmonary artery pressure derived by echocardiography of more than 50 mmHg (by tricuspid regurgitation jet) or mean PA pressure more than 25 mmHg obtained at cardiac catheterization. A detailed questionnaire is administered which includes the demographic characteristics, risk factors, family history, ECG data, 6 minute walk test distance, chest X ray findings and echocardiographic data. Details of PH specific therapy and one-year follow-up data are collected. From a preliminary survey in the region, we estimated that we will be able to collect 2000 cases over a period of one year.

Prolonged pacing from the right ventricular (RV) apex has been shown to be associated with progressive left ventricular dysfunction as demonstrated by heart failure, atrial fibrillation and an increased morbidity and mortality [1-6]. This has led to an interest in alternate RV pacing sites and in particular the mid RV septum and the RV outflow tract (RVOT) septum [7-11]. These sites are theoretically associated with a more physiological ventricular activation. Despite the perceived advantages of septal pacing, results to date are not confirmatory [12-18]. These studies were generally acute or extended to 6-months and the leads secured to the RVOT and thus were not necessarily septal. On review of the early work of Durrer et al in 1970 [19] the septal regions of the RVOT and mid RV are the first zones of the ventricle to depolarize, suggesting that pacing from these areas on the right side of the septum would achieve as normal a contraction pattern as possible. In contrast, the free wall of the RV is the last zone to be depolarized. When attempting to prove the physiologic and hemodynamic benefits of septal pacing, it seems illogical to choose the RVOT with a mix of both septal and free wall pacing. The potential benefits of septal pacing would possibly be negated by free wall pacing and thus it is not surprising that there has been no consistent benefit over RV apical pacing demonstrated.

Background: Epidemiological data on pulmonary hypertension (PH) are scarce from developing countries including India., Methods: We established a multi-center registry of PH, the PRO-KERALA registry, in Kerala, India. Fifty hospitals enrolled consecutive adult (>18 years) patients for one year. Echocardiographic criteria (right ventricular systolic pressure - RVSP > 50 mmHg) or invasively obtained mean pulmonary artery pressure > 25 mmHg was the criteria for entry., Results: There were 2003 patients (52% Women, mean age 56 ± 16.1 years) enrolled. The mean RVSP was 68.2 (SD = 17.9) mmHg. Majority of the study participants (59%) belonged to group 2 of the WHO Nice Classification 2013 (PH secondary to left heart disease). One-fifth (21.2%) belonged to group 1, while 13.3%, 3.8% and 2.4% of the study population belonged to groups 3, 4 and 5 respectively. More than a quarter (27%) reported PH due to left heart disease with valvular disease etiology; while 20.7% had coronary artery disease. The other common etiological factors were chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (10.6%), congenital heart disease (14.6%), idiopathic pulmonary hypertension (5.8%), and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (3.8%). Only one of two patients with pulmonary artery hypertension was receiving PH specific therapies. The use of combination therapy was negligible and PH-specific therapies were prescribed off-label to a small proportion of patients too., Conclusion: PRO-KERALA is the first PH registry from South Asia and the second largest globally. Left heart diseases attribute to three fifths of patients with PH. Utilization rates of PH specific drug therapies are remarkably lower than the Western population., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a disease associated with a high morbidity and mortality. There is paucity of data regarding PH from the developing countries including India. Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension is the most important etiological factor in the western world, but PH secondary to rheumatic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and untreated congenital heart disease could well be the predominant causes in developing countries like India. The main objective of the PROKERALA study - Pulmonary hypertension Registry Of Kerala is to collect data regarding the etiology, practice patterns and one-year outcomes of patients diagnosed to have PH., Methods: The study is a hospital-based registry in the state of Kerala supported and funded by the Cardiological Society of India, Kerala Chapter. A total of 77 hospitals have agreed to participate in the registry. PH was defined as systolic pulmonary artery pressure derived by echocardiography of more than 50mmHg (by tricuspid regurgitation jet) or mean PA pressure more than 25mmHg obtained at cardiac catheterization. A detailed questionnaire is administered which includes the demographic characteristics, risk factors, family history, ECG data, 6 minute walk test distance, chest X ray findings and echocardiographic data. Details of PH specific therapy and one-year follow-up data are collected. From a preliminary survey in the region, we estimated that we will be able to collect 2000 cases over a period of one year., (Copyright © 2015 Cardiological Society of India. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)