International Journal of Cardiology
Volume 154, Supplement 1 , Pages S20-S33, December 2011

Treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH): Updated Recommendations of the Cologne Consensus Conference 2011

  • H. Ardeschir Ghofrani

      Affiliations

    • Department of Respiratory Medicine, Medical Clinic II, University Hospital Gießen and Marburg, Gießen Branch
    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress for correspondence: Prof. Dr. H. Ardeschir Ghofrani, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Medical Clinic II/IV, University Hospital Gieβen and Marburg, Gieβen Branch, Klinikstr. 36, D-35392 Gieβen, Germany. Tel.: +49 (0)641-99-42422; fax: +49 (0)641-99-42419
  • ,
  • Oliver Distler

      Affiliations

    • Rheumatology Clinic, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland
  • ,
  • Felix Gerhardt

      Affiliations

    • Clinic III for Internal Medicine, Heart Center at the University of Cologne
  • ,
  • Matthias Gorenflo

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Leuven, Belgium
  • ,
  • Ekkehard Grünig

      Affiliations

    • Center for pulmonary hypertension, Chest Clinic at the University Hospital Heidelberg
  • ,
  • Walter E. Haefeli

      Affiliations

    • Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacoepidemiology, Heidelberg University
  • ,
  • Matthias Held

      Affiliations

    • Department of Internal Medicine, Section Respiratory Medicine and Cardiology, Mission Medical Hospital, Würzburg
  • ,
  • Marius M. Hoeper

      Affiliations

    • Clinic for Respiratory Medicine, Medical University Hannover
  • ,
  • Christian M. Kähler

      Affiliations

    • Pneumology/USPH Innsbruck Internal Medicine I, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University Innsbruck, Austria
  • ,
  • Harald Kaemmerer

      Affiliations

    • Clinic for Pediatric Cardiology and Congenital Heart Defects, German Heart Center Munich
  • ,
  • Hans Klose

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pneumology, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf
  • ,
  • Volker Köllner

      Affiliations

    • Specialty Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine, MediClin Bliestal Clinics, Blieskastel
  • ,
  • Bruno Kopp

      Affiliations

    • Pulmonale Hypertonie e.V. (phev), Rheinstetten
  • ,
  • Siegrun Mebus

      Affiliations

    • Clinic for Pediatric Cardiology and Congenital Heart Defects, German Heart Center Munich
  • ,
  • Andreas Meyer

      Affiliations

    • Clinic for Respiratory Medicine, Maria Hilf Hospital, Mönchengladbach
  • ,
  • Oliver Miera

      Affiliations

    • Department of Congenital Heart Defects/Pediatric Cardiology, German Heart Center, Berlin
  • ,
  • David Pittrow

      Affiliations

    • Institute for Clinical Pharmacology, Medical Faculty, Carl-Gustav Carus Technical University Dresden
  • ,
  • Gabriela Riemekasten

      Affiliations

    • Medical Clinic, Dpartment. of Rheumatology, Charité University Medicine, Berlin
  • ,
  • Stephan Rosenkranz

      Affiliations

    • Clinic III for Internal Medicine, Heart Center at the University of Cologne
  • ,
  • Dietmar Schranz

      Affiliations

    • Pediatric Heart Center, Justus-Liebig University Gießen
  • ,
  • Robert Voswinckel

      Affiliations

    • Department of Respiratory Medicine, Medical Clinic II, University Hospital Gießen and Marburg, Gießen Branch
  • ,
  • Horst Olschewski

      Affiliations

    • Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonology, Medical University of Graz, Austria

Abstract 

The 2009 European Guidelines on Diagnosis and Treatment of Pulmonary Hypertension have been adopted for Germany. The guidelines contain detailed recommendations on the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension (PH). However, the practical implementation of the European Guidelines in Germany requires the consideration of several country-specific issues and already existing novel data. This requires a detailed commentary to the guidelines, and in some aspects an update already appears necessary. In June 2010, a Consensus Conference organized by the PH working groups of the German Society of Cardiology (DGK), the German Society of Respiratory Medicine (DGP) and the German Society of Pediatric Cardiology (DGPK) was held in Cologne, Germany. This conference aimed to solve practical and controversial issues surrounding the implementation of the European Guidelines in Germany. To this end, a number of working groups was initiated, one of which was specifically dedicated to the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). This commentary describes in detail the results and recommendations of the working group on treatment of PAH which were last updated in October 2011.

Keywords:  Pulmonary arterial hypertension , Treatment , Guidelines

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 Source: Ghofrani HA, Distler O, Gerhardt F, et al. Treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH): Recommendations of the Cologne Consensus Conference 2010. Dtsch Med Wochenschr 2010;135(Suppl 3):S87-101.

PII: S0167-5273(11)70490-9

doi:10.1016/S0167-5273(11)70490-9

International Journal of Cardiology
Volume 154, Supplement 1 , Pages S20-S33, December 2011