Acute Exposure to High Altitude on Pulmonary Artery Pressure and Right Heart Function (Echo)

Acute Exposure to Hypoxia in Precapillary Pulmonary Hypertension: Physiological and Clinical Effects at Rest and During Exercise

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT03637166

Enrollment

Registered

2018-08-17

Start date

2018-07-01

Completion date

2019-01-01

Last updated

2020-01-07

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Pulmonary Hypertension

Keywords

High Altitude, Pulmonary artery pressure, Echocardiography, Right heart function

Brief summary

Randomized crossover Trial in patients with Pulmonary Hypertension (PAH, CTEPH) to assess the acute response to High Altitude (Säntis; 2500m above sea level) on pulmonary artery pressure and right heart function (echo)

Detailed description

Low altitude baseline measurements will be performed in Zurich (460m asl) including Echocardiography, Right heart catheterization, six-minute walk test (6MWT), pulmonary function test, clinical assessment and blood gas Analysis. Randomly assigned to the order of testing, the participants will be tested in Low Altitude (Zurich, 470m) and at High Altitude (2500m). Several times within the exposure, the pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) and the right heart function will be assessed by echo.

Interventions

OTHERAssessment at Low Altitude (470m above sea level)

Assessment at Low Altitude (in Zurich; 470m above sea level) in order to compare this data with High altitude exposure

OTHERExposure to High Altitude (2500m above sea level)

Exposure to High Altitude (Säntis; 2500m above sea level) for approximately 5 hours

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

CROSSOVER

Primary purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Intervention model description

Including a baseline assessment and assessments at Low altitude and High altitude

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Informed consent * PH diagnosed according to internation Guidelines: mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) ≥ 25 mmHg along with a pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PAWP) ≤15 mmHg during right heart catheterization at the time of Initial diagnosis * PH class 1 (PAH) or 4 (CTEPH) * Stable condition, on the same medication for \> 4 weeks * Patient live permanently at an altitude \< 1000m asl.

Exclusion criteria

* Resting partial Oxygen pressure (PaO2) ≤7.3 kPA corresponding to the requirement of long-term oxygen therapy \> 16hour daily (nocturnal oxygen therapy alone is allowed) * Severe daytime hypercapnia (pCO2 \> 6.5 kilopascal (kPa)) * Susceptibility to high altitude related diseases (AMS, high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), etc.) based on previous experienced discomfort at altitudes. * Exposure to an altitude \>1500m for ≥3 nights during the last 4 weeks before the study participation * Residence \> 1000m above sea level * Inability to follow the procedures of the study, e.g. due to language problems, psychological disorders, neurological or orthopedic problems with Walking disability * Women who are pregnant or breast feeding

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Echocardiographic assessment at High Altitude (2500m above sea level)	1 day at altitude	Pulmonary artery pressure will be measured by echo (TTE).

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Echocardiographic right heart assessment at High Altitude (2500m above sea level)	1 day at altitude	The right heart function (fac, D-Shaping, etc.) will be assessed by Echocardiography (TTE)

Countries

Switzerland

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026