Novel Index (PIMR) in PAH

July 29, 2025 updated by: Rushi V. Parikh, University of California, Los Angeles

Impact of the Pulmonary Index of Microcirculatory Resistance in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

The chief regulator of resistance in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is the small arteries. In the heart, the invasive measurement of the resistance of the small arteries has been shownto be safe, easy, reliable, and prognostic. This study is intended to translate prior work in heart arteries to the PAH space and invasively measure the resistance of the small arteries of the lung (pulmonary index of microcirculatory resistance [PIMR]) and the coronary artery supplying the right ventricle (acute marginal of the RCA; RV-IMR). Importantly, these measurements will be made during standard of care cardiac catheterizations (right heart catheterization [RHC] +/- left heart catheterization). The correlation between these new indices and the standard ones measured during RHC typically used to determine the severity of pulmonary hypertension will be analyzed. In addition, among newly diagnosed patients, the study will evaluate how these indices change 6 months after starting treatment. Finally, the association of these indices with clinical outcomes at 1 year will be assessed. The findings from this study may deliver an immediate impact to patient care by identifying a new metric to help better identify those who may benefit from a more intensive, personalized treatment regimen.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

22

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • California
      • Los Angeles, California, United States, 90095
        • Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Adult PAH patients

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of Group 1 PAH with invasive pulmonary hypertension defined as: Mean pulmonary arterial pressure ≥ 20 mmHg, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure < 15 mmHg, and pulmonary vascular resistance ≥ 3 Wood units.
  • Serum creatinine < 2.0 mg/dL
  • Able to provide informed written consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Other groups/forms of pulmonary hypertension (i.e. groups 2-5)
  • Contraindicated to undergo fluoroscopy and/or coronary angiography
  • Pregnancy

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
PAH Patients
Pulmonary Index of Microcirculatory Resistance (PIMR) and Right Ventricle Index of Microcirculatory Resistance (RV-IMR) measurements during standard-of-care right +/- left heart catheterization at baseline and among those who undergo a standard-of-care right heart catheterization at 6 months.
Other: Pulmonary Index of Microcirculatory Resistance
PIMR measurement involves placing a coronary pressure wire in the pulmonary arteries and making pressure/time measurements during maximal flow down the artery.
Other Names:
  • PIMR
Other: Right Ventricle Index of Microcirculatory Resistance
RV-IMR measurement involves placing a coronary pressure wire in the acute marginal branch of the right coronary artery and making pressure/time measurements during maximal flow down the artery.
Other Names:
  • RV-IMR

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
PAH hospitalization or all-cause mortality at 1 year
Time Frame: 1 year
The primary outcome is the composite of PAH hospitalization or all-cause mortality at 1 year.
1 year
RV-IMR
Time Frame: Baseline
PressureWire advanced to distal third of acute marginal branch of the right coronary artery (RCA) for measurement of pulmonary hemodynamics. The derivation of IMR involves the application of Ohm's law (V=IR) to the coronary microcirculatory circuit, where the relationship between resistance (R) = IMR, voltage (V) = pressure (P), and current (I) = flow (Q) can be expressed as follows: IMR = ∆P/Q. ∆P = the change in pressure across the microvasculature (mean distal coronary artery pressure [Pd] - coronary venous pressure (Pv); Pv is typically disregarded because it is negligible relative to Pd. Based on the principles of thermodilution, flow is inversely proportion to mean transit time (Q ~ 1/Tmn). Lastly, the minimal achievable resistance occurs during maximal hyperemic flow when all available microvessels have theoretically been recruited. Hence, the calculation of IMR simplifies to the following formula: IMR = Pd (RCA marginal branch) x TmnHyp.
Baseline
PIMR change from baseline
Time Frame: Baseline, 6 months only if repeat RHC as standard of care
PressureWire advanced to distal third of segmental pulmonary artery (PA) for measurement of pulmonary hemodynamics. The derivation of IMR involves the application of Ohm's law (V=IR) to the coronary microcirculatory circuit, where the relationship between resistance (R) = IMR, voltage (V) = pressure (P), and current (I) = flow (Q) can be expressed as follows: IMR = ∆P/Q. ∆P = the change in pressure across the microvasculature (mean distal coronary artery pressure [Pd] - coronary venous pressure (Pv); Pv is typically disregarded because it is negligible relative to Pd. Based on the principles of thermodilution, flow is inversely proportion to mean transit time (Q ~ 1/Tmn). Lastly, the minimal achievable resistance occurs during maximal hyperemic flow when all available microvessels have theoretically been recruited. Hence, the calculation of IMR simplifies to the following formula: IMR = Pd (pulmonary artery) x TmnHyp.
Baseline, 6 months only if repeat RHC as standard of care

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of California, Los Angeles

Collaborators

Bayer

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Rushi Parikh, MD, University of California, Los Angeles

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

February 1, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

April 8, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

April 8, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 1, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 1, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

April 14, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 1, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 29, 2025

Last Verified

July 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • IRB#22-001088

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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