Mortality trends in pulmonary arterial hypertension in canada: a temporal analysis of survival per ESC/ERS Guideline Era.

Introduction The evolution in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) management has been summarized in three iterations of the European Society of Cardiology/European Respiratory Society (ESC/ERS) guidelines. No study has assessed whether changes in management, as reflected in the changing guidelines, has translated to improved long-term survival in PAH. Methods Mixed retrospective/prospective analysis of treatment naive, incident PAH patients (n=392) diagnosed at three major centers in Canada from 2009–2021. Patients were divided into two groups based on their diagnosis date and in accordance with three ESC/ERS guideline iterations: 2009 and 2015. Overall survival was assessed based on date of diagnosis and initial treatment strategy (i.e. mono versus combination). Results In Canada, there was a shift towards more aggressive upfront management with combination therapy after the publication of the 2015 guidelines (10.4% and 30.8% in 2009–2015 patients, and 36.0% and 57.4% in 2016–2021 patients, for baseline and 2-year follow-up respectively). A key factor associated with combination therapy after 2015 was higher pulmonary vascular resistance (p=0.009). The 1, 3 and 5 year survival rates in Canada were 89.2%, 75.6%. and 56.0%, respectively. Despite changes in management, there was no improvement in long-term survival before and after publication of the 2015 ESC/ERS guideline (p=0.53). Conclusions There was an increase in the use of initial and sequential combination therapy in Canada after publication of the 2015 ESC/ERS guidelines, which was not associated with improved long-term survival. These data highlight the continued difficulties of managing this aggressive pulmonary disease in an era without a cure.