[swatsurgeon]

[QUOTE=Underwhelmed;364034]You know, I was watching Dexter and drinking coffee, and I just figured something out:

I read the posts from the more seasoned altitude providers about CCB's, Phosphodiesterase inhibitors and presumably nitro not working for HAPE, and I couldn't lay it to rest. Why would nitro work for cardiogenic PE and not HAPE?

Then it hit me: It isn't about pulmonary hypertension when you're having a heart attack. It's about pump failure. So by decreasing venous return to the heart, you decrease the work load on the LV, which decreases the whole CHF effect.


STOP.......preload is not the problem, afterload reduction is the solution, your post is incorrect and significantly misleading. If this is not your area of expertise, don't post what others may take as correct information. Why after a major MI is a balloon pump placed, not to reduce preload but reduce afterload. Pulmonary HTN is a byproduct of some types of MI, the right heart can fail and lead to pulmonary HTN but not all types of heart failure lead to it. If the LV is pumping against aortic stenosis or increased afterload, then LV dysfunction occurs and the cascade of effects to the right heart follows. Please limit your posts to what you know is true and supported by physiology, not guessing.

ss