Abstract
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) occurs in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS); the most severe form comprises acute cor pulmonale (ACP). Here, we investigated the prevalence of PH in patients with ARDS to evaluate its correlation with ACP risk, ARDS severity and central venous pressure (CVP). We conducted a secondary analysis using data from the MIMIC-III open-source clinical database. The prevalence of PH associated with new-onset ARDS during the first 72 h after intensive care unit admission was investigated; moreover, the association between ACP risk score and PH was validated. We also evaluated the association between elevated CVP (mean CVP > 10 mmHg) and PH and other clinical outcomes. Among 2434 patients who met the ARDS Berlin criteria and underwent echocardiography or pulmonary artery catheterization evaluation, a total of 583 (24.0%) patients were diagnosed with moderate or severe PH, of which 418 had low and 165 had high ACP risk. After adjustment for disease/ARDS severity, ACP risk score, and other demographic variables, elevated CVP was independently associated with the occurrence of PH (odds ratio, 2.239 (1.674, 2.993), p < 0.005). Among patients with PH, higher mean CVP was associated with prolonged hospital stay (13.4 vs. 15.2 days, p = 0.041) and duration of ventilation (116.5 vs. 150.5 h, p = 0.023). Incidence of PH was 24.0% in patients with new-onset ARDS in this retrospective study. Elevated CVP is relevant with higher incidence of PH and worse clinical outcome; these highlighted the importance of hemodynamic monitoring in the management of ARDS.