Using Electrical Impedance Tomography to Measure Lung Blood Flow Before and After Surgery for Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension

What this Trial Is About

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension CTEPH occurs when old blood clots block lung blood vessels, making it harder for the heart to pump blood. Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy is a surgery to remove these clots and improve lung blood flow. Researchers are evaluating a bedside imaging method called electrical impedance tomography EIT to measure lung blood flow before and after surgery without radiation or invasive procedures. The study aims to see if EIT can provide helpful information about lung blood flow changes and serve as a complementary monitoring tool for CTEPH patients. In this study, patients undergoing pulmonary thromboendarterectomy will be monitored using EIT before and after surgery. EIT measures lung blood flow by analyzing pulsatility signals and first-pass kinetics after a saline bolus, creating regional perfusion maps and quantitative indices such as the wasted ventilation index. These results will be compared with standard pulmonary perfusion imaging using SPECT-CT, performed before surgery and during follow-up. The surgery itself follows standard clinical practice and is not part of the study intervention. Participants will be assessed with EIT in the preoperative and immediate postoperative periods during their intensive care stay, and SPECT-CT scans will be done before surgery and up to six months after. Researchers will measure lung perfusion changes, compare imaging results, and monitor for any adverse events related to EIT. The main outcome is evaluating EIT perfusion maps from before surgery to the day of surgery postoperatively. The study includes clinical monitoring until hospital discharge and follow-up assessments for up to six months.

Assessment of Pulmonary Perfusion and Hemodynamic Measurements by Electrical Impedance Tomography in Patients Undergoing Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy.