Therapy which may be used in conjunction with treatments of PAH

Digitalis:
Digitalis medicines (Digoxin, Lanoxin®) are used to improve the strength and efficiency of the heart or to control the rate and rhythm of the heartbeat. This leads to better blood circulation and reduced swelling of hands and ankles in patients with right heart problems. Its value for patients with PH has not yet been fully examined but it is often used with calcium channel blockers because CCB? tend to weaken the pumping effectiveness of the heart.

Oxygen:
Supplementary oxygen is sometimes prescribed for PH patients when a patient has hypoxemia (an inadequate amount of available oxygen in the blood) at rest or with physical activity. Patients are considered hypoxic if their oxygen saturation levels are consistently under 88%. Unless patients with PH have an underlying hypoxic lung disease their normal oxygen saturation levels are usually above 88%.

Supplementary oxygen, however, is an important addition to treating the symptoms of a PH patient with hypoxemia or under special conditions, such as when hospitalized with a respiratory infection, or at high altitudes or sometimes when traveling by air.

For information about oxygen therapy in general, see The American Association for Respiratory Care, Home Oxygen Therapy and the National Home Oxygen Patients Association

Anticoagulants (e.g. Coumadin®, Warfarin):
Blood clots are potential complications of PH. Oral anticoagulant therapy is widely recommended for patients with PH because it probably prolongs survival. A 15-year retrospective review of patients treated at the Mayo Clinic showed that patients who received warfarin lived longer than those who did not. A second study demonstrated 5-year survival rates of 94% among patients who received anticoagulation, compared with 55% for patients who did not.

Recent items from the PHCentral Newsroom:

• Medicare Rule on Paying for Oxygen Vexes Patients
  (Wall Street Journal) -- More than one million people rely on Medicare to pay for home-oxygen therapy. Now some patients are running into problems switching their suppliers because of complex new rules the federal insurer uses to pay for the services.
• 
  APSS: Sleep Apnea Not Limited to Obese Patients
  (Med Page Today) -- Obstructive sleep apnea was the culprit in half of patients with relatively normal weight who complained of daytime sleepiness, researchers said here.
• 
  Repackager Initiates Digoxin Recall
  (FDA News) -- A-S Medication Solutions, a drug-repackaging company based in Libertyville, Ill., is recalling all digoxin tablets manufactured by Caraco Pharmaceuticals and distributed before March 31. The consumer-level recall of the generic product is being undertaken because the tablets could vary in size and deliver a variable dose of the drug, A-S says. Digoxin toxicity can cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, low blood pressure, cardiac instability, slow heart rate and death.
   

For Additional Information Visit:

• FDA Drug Search: For information about this drug and any other drug approved by the U.S. FDA – patient info sheets, label info, approval history etc.