Disease Introduction
Pulmonary vascular disease mainly refers to pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), which are diseases characterized by narrowing of pulmonary vessels, abnormally high pulmonary circulation pressure, and progressively increasing burden on the right heart. Typical symptoms include shortness of breath, fatigue, and cyanosis of the lips after exertion; in advanced stages, it can lead to right heart failure. The general principle of treatment is early diagnosis, based on targeted drug combination therapy, combined with balloon angioplasty or surgical stripping, and long-term standardized follow-up.
Cutting-edge high-precision diagnostic and treatment technologies
- New drug approved for use : Sotatercept, the world's first activin signaling inhibitor (ASI), was approved by the China NMPA in January 2026 for use in adult patients with WHO functional class II-III pulmonary arterial hypertension to improve exercise capacity and functional class.
- Single-tablet combination therapy : Macitentan + Tadalafil single-tablet combination therapy (Yuvanci) was approved by the EMA in May 2026 for replacement therapy in PAH patients who have been taking the two drugs separately, simplifying the initial combination therapy and improving compliance.
- Large-scale BPA intervention : Fuwai Hospital's pulmonary vascular specialty routinely performs FFR and OCT-guided percutaneous pulmonary artery balloon angioplasty, with more than 1,000 right heart catheterizations and more than 300 pulmonary artery balloon angioplasties performed annually, accounting for more than 50% of the cases involving complex and critically ill patients.
- Long-term survival evidence for BPA : A multicenter study published in JACC: Asia in May 2026 evaluated the long-term survival benefit of balloon pulmonary artery angioplasty (BPA) for inoperable CTEPH, providing high-level evidence for the efficacy of BPA in China.
- Surgical intervention collaboration : In March 2025, Professor Zhao Zhihui's team from Fuwai Hospital, in collaboration with Fuwai Central China Cardiovascular Hospital, performed pulmonary artery balloon angioplasty on a CTEPH patient who had been suffering from the disease for 11 years, providing minimally invasive relief of pulmonary hypertension.
