Pulmonary
Hypertension
Clinic
Pulmonary Hypertension refers to increased
pressure in the pulmonary vasculature. A
multitude of reasons exist for this increase in
pressure:
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Idiopathic (Unknown etiology)
Dietary pills such as Phen-Fen
(Fenfluramine)
Familial
Collagen vascular diseases:
specially Scleroderma
HIV
Obstructive sleep apnea
Patients with collagen vascular diseases
such as Scleroderma or rheumatoid arthritis
displaying shortness of breath should be
evaluated for presence of pulmonary
hypertension. This is most expeditiously
accomplished through echocardiogram done
in a center specializing in estimating
pulmonary pressures.
Similarly, HIV patients suffering from
shortness of breath should also be
evaluated pulmonary hypertension.
Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic
Pulmonary hypertension is a complex and
demanding condition. We, at the Clinic, are
committed to providing our patients with
state of the art attentive care. The
Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic benefits from
the comprehensive support services
provided by the outstanding staff of the
Cleveland Clinic Florida. We will work with
drug companies, purveyors and insurance
companies to assure that our patients
receive the most efficacious treatment
regimens available.
We are committed to help other medical
practitioners with expert evaluation and
treatment of Pulmonary Hypertensions in
their patient’s. We seek to create close ties
with area physicians to jointly care for this
aspect of their patients’ treatment. Reports
of all activities will be sent to the referring
physician.
Services Provided
Initial Evaluation:
Comprehensive evaluation includes:
 Extended discussions with patients
to elucidate the history of disease
 Extensive Blood work to evaluate for
non-idiopathic causes of pulmonary
hypertension
 High resolution CAT Scan of chest
to rule out other lung diseases
 Detailed Pulmonary Function in our
PFT laboratory
 Cardiac Imaging including expert
reading of Echocardiograms and
Cardiac MRI’s
 Evaluation of Sleep apnea by our
well established Sleep Disorders
Center to exclude sleep disorders
as a source of Pulmonary
Hypertension
 Ventilation/ Perfusion Scanning in
our state of art nuclear camera and
Pulmonary Angiogram by our
dedicated interventional radiologist,
if necessary
 Right/ Left sided cardiac
catheterization by experienced
Interventional cardiologists
Treatment:
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Institution of detailed treatment plan with
close and dedicated follow-up.
State-of-the-art Therapy:
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Sleep and Disordered Breathing
Laboratory
Coumadin Clinic
Cleveland Clinic Florida
Anti-coagulation: Warfarin
(Coumadin), enrolment in
Coumadin Clinic
Calcium Channel Blockade, if
indicated
Sildenafil (Viagra)
Bosentan (Tracleer)
Amrisentan (Letairis)
Inhaled Iloprost (Ventavis
Placement of Hickman Catheter if
continuous infusion is necessary, by
our expert interventional
Radiologist/ Vascular surgeons
Epoprostenol (Flolan)
Administration
Trepostinil (Remodulin)
Contact Information:
Clinical Staff:
Franck F. Rahaghi, MD, MHS, Director
Laurence L. Smolley, MD
Eduardo Oliveira, MD
Pulmonary HTN Nurse:
Rosanna Benavides
Associated Staff:
Interventional Cardiology:
Howard S. Bush, MD
Kenneth R. Fromkin, MD
Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging:
Michael Shen, MD
Associated Laboratories:
 Echocardiography Laboratory (certified
by Intersocietal Commission for the
Accreditation of Echocardiography
Laboratories.
 Peripheral vascular Disease Laboratory
(certified by Intersocietal Commission
for the Accreditation of Vascular
Laboratories.
2950 Cleveland Clinic Boulevard
Weston, FL 33331
Main Number:
954-659-5000
Department Number:
954-659-5450
To make an appointment:
954-6595124
or
1-877-4632010