A Study of Stellate Ganglion Block and / or Reserpine in Group 2 Pulmonary Hypertension
Status:
Withdrawn
Trial end date:
2016-07-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Pulmonary hypertension Group 2 (PH 2) associated with left-sided heart disease is relatively
common, is associated with a poor prognosis, and unfortunately there are no proven medical
treatments beyond attempts at correcting the left sided heart disease. Many PH 2 patients
have evidence of active constriction of blood vessels from increased nerve traffic. Use of
agents or procedures which produce a reversible chemical blockage of this nerve traffic have
not been systematically tested in PH 2. The investigators will test whether acute
interruption of sympathetic nervous system tone, which local anesthetic block of the stellate
ganglion in the neck, will improve PH2, and also test whether the high blood pressure drug
reserpine, which blocks sympathetic nerve activity, will do so during a one month trial
period.