Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension is a very unique disease process. Essentially, it is the formation of clots and inflammatory blockages in the pulmonary arteries. This occurs typically months to years of time. It puts an immense strain on the heart to be able to pump against, essentially, a restriction. This leads to the development of heart failure and heart failure-like symptoms, and ultimately, left untreated, it's a fatal condition.
The surgery that is recommended to treat this disease process is a surgery called pulmonary thromboendarterectomy. This is a complex surgery that is performed through a median sternotomy, meaning we split the breast bone down the middle. We then go on cardiopulmonary bypass, or the heart lung machine. We are then able to open both of the pulmonary arteries and remove all of the clot and inflammatory material within the pulmonary arteries that's causing the blockage and remove it completely on both sides, relieving the obstruction.
What this operation achieves is the heart is then not beating against such a high pressure and there's less stress on the heart. With time, the heart will recover and often function will go back to normal. They can go on living normal lives and it's quite a game-changing procedure for them.
The medical treatment option is, essentially, a palliative option in the sense that it provides relief to patients. It is certainly not curative of the disease process, nor is it a good, long-term treatment option.
The treatment of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension is a unique disease process that requires a really skilled, multidisciplinary team. It's a very unique program to be able to offer here, and something that we're excited to grow upon, to build upon, to attract more patients so that they can be appropriately diagnosed and treated and don't have to suffer with this for the rest of their life.