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IRB No. 22-144-1 (Dr. Agnes Kim, PI): Echocardiographic Assessment of Pulmonary Artery Pressures

Pulmonary hypertension (PHT) is a complex and challenging hemodynamic condition which is characterized by pathologic increase in mean Pulmonary Arterial Pressure (mPAP) >20 mm of Hg at rest.1 The elevated pulmonary pressures could be due to a variety of underlying causes such as lung disease, left heart disease or disease affecting small pulmonary vessels. The gold standard for a definitive diagnosis of PHT is a right heart catheterization (RHC), done invasively to assess filling pressures.2 Nevertheless, immense improvement in the technology over last few decades has made the noninvasive quantification of pulmonary pressures with increased sensitivity possible by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE).2 Echocardiography, is currently the first imaging modality in patients where PHT is suspected. It not only estimates the systolic pulmonary arterial pressures, but also provides useful information on right ventricle function, left ventricle systolic and diastolic function, as well as valvular disease that might be contributing the elevated pulmonary pressures.3 The goal is to assess the accuracy of mPAP calculated through echocardiographic assessment of PVAT and mPAP obtained through RHC.

IRB No. 24-132-2 (Dr. Tarunya Vedere, PI): Primary Hyperaldosteronism is a Risk Factor for Developing Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy

This study is divided into 2 groups: study and control. The study group includes patients with a diagnosis of high blood pressure before, during or immediately after pregnancy [hypertensive disorder of pregnancy (HDP)] and the control group includes patients who do not have a diagnosis of high blood pressure around the time of pregnancy. This research is being done to determine if underlying excessive aldosterone hormone production [Primary Hyperaldosteronism (PA)] is a pre-pregnancy risk factor for HDP. HDP complicates about 10% of pregnancies and can cause a lifetime risk of developing chronic hypertension and cardiovascular disease (also called heart disease). PA occurs due to a problem of the adrenal glands (located on top of both kidneys) and is an underdiagnosed cause of hypertension (high blood pressure). Hyperaldosteronism happens when the adrenal glands release too much aldosterone hormone, leading to sodium retention, high blood pressure and low potassium levels. In this study, the researchers will assess if women with history of HDP have higher production of aldosterone compared to women without history of HDP. This will be done by testing blood and urine samples.