Abstract Background The relationship between right atrial (RA) structural and functional remodeling and risk of atrial fibrillation/flutter (AF/AFL) in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is understudied. This is important due to the prognostic implications of AF/AFL in PAH. Methods In a multicenter cohort study comprised of 326 PAH patients with no prior history of AF/AFL, we evaluated how RA structure and function, as determined by echocardiography, were associated with AF/AFL. We calculated the incident rate …

Abstract Dynamin‐related protein 1 (Drp1) is a cytosolic GTPase protein that when activated translocates to the mitochondria, meditating mitochondrial fission and increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cardiomyocytes. Drp1 has shown promise as a therapeutic target for reducing cardiac ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury; however, the lack of specificity of some small molecule Drp1 inhibitors and the reliance on the use of Drp1 haploinsufficient hearts from older mice have left the role of Drp1 in IR in question.…

Right ventricular dysfunction is a hallmark of advanced pulmonary vascular, lung parenchymal, and left heart disease, yet the underlying mechanisms that govern (mal)adaptation remain incompletely characterized. Owing to the knowledge gaps in our understanding of the right ventricle (RV) in health and disease, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute commissioned a working group to identify current challenges in the field. These included a need to define and standardize normal RV structure and function in popu…

Analyses of temporal changes in PAH care reveal a significant decrease in PAH-related hospitalizations in the United States, but hospital charges have increased substantially and are increasingly being borne by Medicare. In-hospital mortality remains unchanged, but length of hospitalization has increased. This study should help identify the characteristics of patients with PAH that are associated with increased risk of in-hospital mortality and longer length of hospitalization.