Condition · 1 treatment path
Pulmonary Hypertension (Severe)
Severe pulmonary hypertension is high pressure in the lung arteries that strains the right side of the heart. It has several causes, including pulmonary arterial hypertension, lung disease, clots and left heart disease.
Send your imaging + plan. Board-reviewed opinion in 5–10 working days.
- Treatment paths
- 1Treatment paths
- Specialties
- 2Specialties
- Typical severity
- SevereTypical severity
About pulmonary hypertension (severe)
What to know
Symptoms are breathlessness, fatigue, chest pain, ankle swelling and fainting on exertion. Diagnosis starts with echocardiography and then right heart catheterisation to measure pressures, with lung function tests, CT and a ventilation-perfusion scan to find the cause. Identifying the type matters because treatment differs.
Treatment depends on the type. Pulmonary arterial hypertension is treated with targeted drugs such as endothelin receptor antagonists, PDE5 inhibitors, prostacyclin analogues and combinations, alongside diuretics and oxygen. Chronic clot-related disease may be treated by pulmonary endarterectomy or balloon angioplasty. If drug therapy is not enough, double lung transplantation is considered in carefully selected people, and some travel to transplant centres.
Pre-flight workup
Tests to have already done
- Right heart catheterisation report with mean pulmonary artery pressure, wedge pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance.
- Echocardiogram, plus a ventilation-perfusion scan to look for chronic clots, and CT chest.
- Six-minute walk distance, functional class, BNP or NT-proBNP and oxygen saturation results.
- Cause work-up: autoimmune blood tests, HIV and liver tests, sleep studies and lung function tests.
- A list of pulmonary hypertension drugs used with doses and response, plus any hospital admissions.
Second opinion
When to get a second look
- Your diagnosis has not been confirmed by right heart catheterisation, which is needed before choosing treatment.
- You have not been assessed for chronic thromboembolic disease, which can sometimes be cured by surgery.
- You remain breathless on combination drug treatment and have not been assessed by a transplant centre.
- You are a woman of childbearing age, because pregnancy is dangerous and needs expert advice.
Talking to your doctor
Questions to ask
- Which group of pulmonary hypertension do I have and what is the cause?
- Could my condition be chronic thromboembolic and treatable by surgery or balloon angioplasty?
- Am I on appropriate combination therapy and what is my risk category?
- When should I be referred for a lung transplant assessment?
- Is it safe for me to fly, exercise or become pregnant?
- What signs mean I need urgent medical help?
Outlook
Realistic prognosis
Outlook has improved considerably with modern drug combinations, and many patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension live for years, but severe disease remains serious. Prognosis depends on the cause, functional class and right heart function. Transplantation is reserved for those who deteriorate despite maximum medical therapy and can extend life for selected patients.
01 · Specialties
Specialties that treat Pulmonary
Diagnostic workup
Before you pick a hospital, get the workup right
Picking the right treatment is downstream of a complete diagnosis. Skip steps here and the destination surgeon usually re-orders them anyway — at higher cost and another week on the ground.
- Confirm the diagnosis on imaging or labs
For pulmonary hypertension (severe), plan on the workup your home doctor would order anyway — typically a recent specialist consult plus the imaging / labs the destination team will need to quote accurately. Anything older than 90 days usually gets re-done.
- See a cardiac surgery specialist locally first
An in-person clinical exam at home — even a single consult — costs little and dramatically improves the destination plan. Bring back: written impression, recommended procedure, surgical-risk class, and any contra-indications.
- Send us the file for a free second opinion
Two surgeons in our medical panel review the workup independently. They tell you whether they'd operate, watch, or refer — even if that means recommending against travel.
- Pick a path with timeline + cost in writing
Once a treatment is the right call, we line up 2–3 hospital options with itemized quotes, surgeon profiles, and a travel timeline. You hold the file — switch hospitals or step away at any point.
03 · Treatment paths
Treatment options
Where to be treated
Pulmonary Hypertension (Severe) treatment by destination
04 · FAQ
Common questions about pulmonary hypertension (severe)
Can pulmonary hypertension be cured?
Most forms are not curable, but chronic thromboembolic disease can sometimes be cured with surgery. Drugs control symptoms and slow progression.
Can I fly with pulmonary hypertension?
Low cabin oxygen can be risky. Many patients with advanced disease need supplemental oxygen, so get a fitness-to-fly assessment before travelling.
Is a lung transplant the only option?
No. Transplant is considered only if drugs fail. Most patients are treated medically, often with several drugs together.
Clinical context
Working up pulmonary hypertension (severe) properly
A condition like pulmonary hypertension (severe) is rarely well-served by jumping straight to treatment shopping. The sequence below is what a cardiac surgery specialist would expect to see completed — and the absence of any step is the right cue to delay travel decisions.
Diagnostic workup, in sequence
- First-line clinical assessment
History, physical exam, and risk-factor review by a senior generalist or cardiac surgery specialist. Symptoms list, family history, prior workup notes, and current medication list should travel with the patient.
- Standard imaging + labs
Baseline blood work, condition-specific imaging (ultrasound / X-ray / MRI / CT — depending on indication), and ECG / pulmonary function as relevant. Bring digital copies of any prior imaging — saves repeat scans and the cost that goes with them.
- Specialist diagnostic workup
Procedure-specific tests — biopsy, cardiac catheterisation, endoscopy, or genetic / molecular profiling depending on the suspected diagnosis. Done at the centre that will treat, ideally, so results integrate cleanly into the treatment plan.
- Multidisciplinary review (where indicated)
Cancer, complex cardiac, transplant, and rare-disease cases should be reviewed by a multidisciplinary panel — surgical, medical, imaging, and pathology — before any treatment commits. Single-discipline plans for complex disease are a quality red flag.
When to escalate urgently
- Acute worsening of established symptoms — sudden chest pain, shortness of breath at rest, neurological deficit, severe bleeding, persistent high fever.
- Loss of consciousness, severe persistent vomiting, or any focal neurological event.
- Symptoms in the early hours of onset that fit a time-sensitive treatment window (stroke, MI, sepsis) — every hour costs outcome.
- If you are travelling internationally for treatment and develop these symptoms in transit, divert to the nearest emergency department; do not wait to reach the planned destination.
Before you book international travel
- Confirm your specific diagnosis is fully worked up before you commit to a treatment plan abroad. Travelling for the workup is fine; travelling for treatment without the workup done is not.
- Get your case reviewed remotely by the destination centre's team before you book flights — credible international patient programs review imaging + reports before they confirm the surgical plan.
- Bring a digital + physical copy of your full medical record: imaging on USB drive in DICOM format, labs in PDF, current medication list with dosages, allergies, and any prior surgical reports.
- Plan for the post-op rehabilitation phase before you fly — the surgery itself is rarely the bottleneck.
- Confirm that follow-up imaging and any necessary in-person reviews can be done at home — a treatment plan that requires repeat international trips is more burdensome (and more expensive) than the headline procedure.
Mbinu na viwango vya uhariri
This pulmonary hypertension (severe) overview is written by the editorial team from published Cardiac Surgery sources and lists 1 treatment options offered by hospitals on our network. The page shows its last-updated date. Clinical descriptions are editorial — your treating clinician confirms what's right for your specific case.
- Taarifa za hospitali. Maelezo ya hospitali yanakusanywa kutoka vyanzo vya umma na tovuti za hospitali. Uidhinishaji (JCI, NABH na mengine) huonyeshwa pale tulipo na rekodi. Daima omba hospitali cheti chake cha sasa.
- Sifa za madaktari. Sifa, utaalamu na wasifu hutoka wasifu wa daktari hospitalini. Leseni hukaguliwa kwenye rejista ya baraza la kitaifa la madaktari tu pale wasifu unapoonyesha alama ya "Leseni imehakikiwa" yenye tarehe.
- Bei. Viwango vya bei ni vya kukadiria, vimekusanywa kutoka orodha za bei na vifurushi vya hospitali na huonyeshwa na tarehe ya mwisho ya kusasishwa. Unacholipa ni kile kilichoandikwa kwenye nukuu ya hospitali.
- Maandishi ya kitabibu. Imeandikwa na timu ya wahariri ya Medcasts kutoka vyanzo vya kliniki vilivyochapishwa. Isipokuwa ukurasa umetaja mhakiki kwa jina, haujakaguliwa na daktari.
- Uhuru. Hospitali haziwezi kulipa ili kubadilisha nafasi yao kwenye kurasa zetu.
Pulmonary Hypertension (Severe)
Continue evaluating pulmonary hypertension (severe) care
Condition overview is one entry. These hubs route the same care decision via specialty, surgeon, treatment, and destination — including the doctors actively treating pulmonary hypertension (severe).
- Surgeons Doctors treating Pulmonary Hypertension (Severe) Volume-ranked specialists across all relevant specialties.
- Specialty Cardiac Surgery hub Programs, surgeons, hospitals across cardiac surgery.
- Specialty Organ Transplant Alternative specialty involved in care for this condition.
- Procedure Double Lung Transplant First-line treatment with success rates, recovery, hospital pricing.
- Browse All 79 conditions Map condition → specialty → first-line treatment.
- Browse 9 destination countries Cost-of-care profiles, hospital programs, visa playbooks.
- Compare Hospital comparison Side-by-side accreditations, ratings, beds, and pricing.
- Compare Doctor comparison Surgeons compared on volume, fees, languages, video-consult availability.
- Tool Match-me triage Three questions, get a specialty + destination + 3-hospital shortlist.
- Tool Cost calculator Hospital-reported pricing across procedures × destinations.
- Action Free second opinion Independent panel review of your case in 48 hours — no charge.
Hatua inayofuata · Pulmonary Hypertension (Severe)
Free second opinion on your Pulmonary case.
Share imaging and the current plan. Multidisciplinary board returns a written opinion within 5–10 working days — no obligation to travel.