First in Korea to Achieve 500 Cases of Pulmonary Vascular Intervention
The Pulmonary Hypertension Center at the Heart Vascular Stroke Institute of Samsung Medical Center has successfully performed 500 pulmonary vascular interventions, a first in Korea. It has been 10 years since the Pulmonary Hypertension Center performed Korea's first successful percutaneous pulmonary artery intervention for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension in 2015. Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension is a condition where blood clots accumulate and harden in the pulmonary arteries over time, becoming resistant to dissolution by medication and leading to elevated pulmonary artery pressure. If left untreated, it can result in right ventricular failure and may be fatal.
Early detection and treatment of severe pulmonary vascular disease are crucial, but due to its rarity (approximately 30 to 50 cases per 100,000 people), diagnosis has been challenging. However, this has changed with the introduction of pulmonary vascular interventions. This procedure involves inserting a thin catheter through the lower extremity to expand narrowed pulmonary blood vessels using a balloon.
The advantages of this procedure are that it does not require general anesthesia and provides access to small blood vessels that are difficult to reach through surgery. As a result, it can be performed on patients with peripheral pulmonary embolism or the elderly.
Center Director Chang, Sung A stated, “Looking ahead, we will continue to advance pulmonary vascular intervention technology and apply it to various pulmonary vascular diseases, aiming to offer hope to our patients.”