Pulsatile Vascular Afterload Measurement Improves Prediction of Right‐Sided Heart Dysfunction in Undifferentiated and Left‐Sided Pulmonary Hypertension

Background The association between raised pulmonary artery pressures, pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), and right‐sided heart dysfunction is well recognized. The added value of pulsatile indices, specifically pulmonary arterial compliance (PAC) and characteristic impedance, remains unclear. This study aimed to identify the optimal vascular afterload model for predicting right‐sided heart dysfunction in newly diagnosed pulmonary hypertension (PH). METHODS AND RESULTS This was a prospective cohort study of 86 patients with suspected PH (60±16 years; 66 women) who underwent right‐sided heart catheterization and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Right ventricular end‐diastolic volume index (RVEDVi) and right atrial (RA) volume index were measured using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Vascular resistance, PAC, and characteristic impedance were measured using pulmonary artery pressure from right‐sided heart catheterization and pulmonary artery flow from cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Optimal model fit was determined by the lowest Akaike Information Criterion value. A total of 58% of patients had a right ventricular ejection fraction