Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic at Providence Heart Institute

Providence Heart Institute
Pulmonary Hypertenstion Institute
16001 W. Nine Mile Road
Southfield, MI 48075
248-849-2000

About pulmonary hypertension

High blood pressure in the arteries that supply the lungs is called pulmonary hypertension (PHT). PHT is a serious condition for which there are treatments but no cure. Physicians at the Pulmonary Hypertenstion Clinic at Providence Hospital specialize in helping patients live ith pulmonary hypertension.

The pulmonary arteries are the blood vessels that carry oxygen-poor blood from the right ventricle  in the heart to the small arteries in the lungs. In PHT three types of changes may occur in the pulmonary arteries:

• The muscles within the walls of the arteries may tighten up. This makes the inside of the arteries narrower.
• The walls of the pulmonary arteries may thicken as the amount of muscle increases in some arteries. Scar tissue may form in the walls of arteries. As the walls thicken and scar, the arteries become increasingly narrow.
• Tiny blood clots may form within the smaller arteries, causing blockages.

There is less room for the blood to flow through these narrower arteries. The arteries may also stiffen. Over time, some of the arteries may become completely blocked.

The narrowing of the pulmonary arteries causes the right side of heart to work harder to pump blood through the lungs. Over time, the heart muscle weakens and loses its ability to pump enough blood for the body's needs. 

Who can benefit from the Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic 

Patients who have evidence of right-sided heart failure without left-sided systolic or
diastolic dysfunction (e.g. by echocardiography) benefit from specific therapy for
pulmonary hypertension.

Other at-risk patients include those with:
• Rheumatological Disorders
• HIV
• Liver Disease
• Sickle Cell Disease
• Thyroid Disorders
• Congenital Heart Disease.

The Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic at Providence Hospital is conducted in collaboration with Wayne State University, and provides comprehensive diagnostic services for all aspects of pulmonary vascular disease. All FDA-approved treatment protocols for pulmonary hypertension are now available at the Providence Heart Institute. The option to enroll in Phase 3 clinical trials of experimental medications is available.

Our staff

Dr. Kamal Mubarak is the physician specialist at the Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic. He trained as a pulmonologist at the Mayo Clinic and is Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic at Wayne State University, Detroit, MI. Dr. Mubarak also serves as the Vice-Chair of
the Pulmonary Vascular Disease Network of the American College of Chest Physicians.

To schedule an appointment

To make an appointment or for more information, call 248-849-2000. No referral is necessary. If you have a referring physician, the Lipid Clinic physician will work with your doctor to coordinate your care.