Pulmonary artery pressure via endobronchial ultrasound: A feasibility and safety study.

OBJECTIVES

Pulmonary hypertension significantly influences perioperative outcomes in thoracic surgery. Right heart catheterization, the standard method to assess pulmonary artery pressure, is invasive and time-consuming. We aimed to assess the feasibility and safety of direct pulmonary artery pressure measurement through endobronchial ultrasound-guided puncture of the right pulmonary artery.

METHODS

Twenty patients underwent ultrasound-guided puncture of the right pulmonary artery using a 22-gauge needle under real-time ultrasound guidance. Systolic, diastolic, and mean pulmonary pressures were recorded via a pressure transducer. Procedural success and complications were assessed.

RESULTS

Pulmonary artery puncture was successfully completed in all 20 patients (100%). Mean systolic pulmonary pressure was 26.5 ± 7.6 mm Hg, mean diastolic pulmonary pressure was 16.4 ± 6.3 mm Hg, and mean pulmonary pressure was 20.7 ± 6.6 mm Hg. No complications, including bleeding, vessel injury, pneumothorax, or infection occurred.

CONCLUSIONS

Endobronchial ultrasound guided puncture of the right pulmonary artery appears to be a safe and effective method for direct pulmonary artery pressure measurement, potentially improving preoperative risk assessment without additional procedural risks.