Pulmonary Hypertertension🫁 Pathoma

Apuntes

• Subtopic: Pulmonary Hypertension Overview Okay, the next section deals with pulmonary hypertension. Recall that we have two independent circuits coming off the heart: the systemic circuit and the pulmonary circuit. Of course, the systemic circuit can undergo hypertension, and we've discussed that in extensive detail in the vascular chapter. Now, we're going to focus briefly on pulmonary hypertension, or high pressure within the pulmonary circuit. Normally, the pressure in the pulmonary circuit is fairly low, about 10 millimeters of mercury. However, if the pressure increases beyond 25 mmHg, that would then be defined as pulmonary hypertension. • Subtopic: Pathologic Changes in Pulmonary Hypertension Pulmonary hypertension is characterized by several important pathologic changes. You get atherosclerosis of the pulmonary trunk, which occurs because high pressure in a vessel increases the risk of atherosclerosis. As you're aware, hypertension is a risk factor for atherosclerosis. Additionally, there is smooth muscle hypertrophy of the pulmonary arteries with some intimal fibrosis—these are classic findings. Perhaps the most important feature on this slide is the presence of plexi...