Long-term continuous intravenous infusion of prostacyclin for severe primary pulmonary hypertension.

A patient suffering from severe symptomatic primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) underwent long-term intravenous prostacyclin therapy; the first time for such treatment in Japan. A 26-year-old male had experienced gradually progressive dyspnea for about one year. Despite conventional therapy he suffered repeated syncopal attacks. However, after receiving a permanent central venous access device and a portable infusion pump, he recovered fully and was discharged. This remedy seems to be promising for PPH as has already been proven in Europe and North Americas, although in Japan it is not as yet commercially available and some problems still need to be resolved.