Background: Pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) is an effective treatment for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). The present study tested the hypothesis that inflammation, as determined by circulating cytokine levels, may contribute to the difficulty in controlling arterial blood pressure after PEA.
Materials and Methods: Thirty-six patients with CTEPH (22 males and 14 females) underwent PEA using cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and deep hypothermic circulatory arrest.