The significance of volume overload in the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients.

Introduction: The underlying pathophysiology of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is multifactorial; however, the significance of chronic volume overload and its subsequent effects on cardiac function must be studied thoroughly. The main objective of this study was to determine the predictive parameters of PAH in patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) using transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and bioimpedance analysis (BIA).

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 43 eligible CAPD patients were chosen. The patients were examined by TTE and BIA before the morning dialysis session, and baseline patient characteristics, echocardiography, and BIA parameters were recorded.

Results: Sixteen (37.2%) patients were diagnosed with PAH. Patients with PAH had significantly greater left atrial diameter (LAD), left ventricular mass index (LVMI), and higher grades of diastolic dysfunction (DDF). Systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) correlated with LAD (p < 0.001, r = 0.566), interventricular septal diameter (IVSD) (p = 0.004, r = 0.425), LVMI (p = 0.030, r = 0.323), and extracellular water/total body water (ECW/TBW) ratio (p = 0.002, r = 0.458).

Conclusion: Two volume status-related parameters including ECW/TBW ratio and inferior vena cava (IVC) expiratory diameter, and cardiac-related TTE findings such as LAD and DDF were predictors of sPAP in CAPD patients.