Mission

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is an unusual and progressive disease that causes pulmonary arterial occlusion, gas exchange impairment, right heart failure and eventually death in 3-5 years if left untreated. The disease is sufficiently uncommon and presenting symptoms non-specific that most individual practitioners do not have sufficient patients to develop expertise in its management. The clinical faculty at UAB manage CTEPH by focusing primarily surgical resection, namely pulmonary thromboendarterectomy.

Objectives

The UAB/HSF Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy Clinic has the following objectives: to provide comprehensive, state of the art clinical and surgical care to patients with pulmonary vascular disease due to chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), to serve as a regional educational resource for physicians and sub-specialty trainees in pulmonary, cardiology, radiology, pathology, anesthesia and cardiothoracic surgery, to acquire new knowledge through maintenance of a database, clinical trials, and refinement of surgical technique, and to disseminate that knowledge by way of publication and other educational activities.

About Our Practice

Drs. Keith Wille and David McGiffin complete a comprehensive clinical evaluation of all patients and a multidisciplinary team assists with the final decision to proceed with any surgery. Follow up after the operation includes monitoring of hemodynamic recovery and return of exercise capacity. Patients who are not surgical candidates are referred to the Pulmonary Hypertension and Lung Transplant Clinics at UAB to discuss alternative treatment strategies.

Contacting the Program for Pulmonary Embolism/Thromboendarterectomy

For more information, contact Keith Wille, MD via phone at  (205) 934-7941 or via email at kwille@uabmc.edu.