Pulmonary-artery denervation combined with guideline-directed medical therapy significantly reduces clinical worsening events compared to medical therapy alone in patients suffering from pulmonary hypertension associated with left heart disease and heart failure, according to findings from the PADN-HF-PH trial presented at ESC Congress 2026 and published simultaneously in NEJM.
Understanding the PADN-HF-PH Trial Data
The multicenter trial conducted in China evaluated 264 patients. Researchers randomized these participants into two distinct cohorts: one receiving pulmonary-artery denervation alongside medical therapy, and the control group receiving medical therapy alone, as reported by Hang Zhang, MD, and Qiguang Wang, MD, et al. Investigators tracked patients over a median follow up 338 days to measure primary outcomes.
The primary outcome metric focused on clinical worsening. Such a combined measure consisted of death, heart or lung transplantation, hospitalization for HF, outpatient worsening of HF, or a reduction in the 6-minute walk distance.
Clinical Worsening Rates Drop Sharply
Data from the trial showed a stark difference in patient trajectories between the two treatment arms. According to the investigators, the Kaplan-Meier estimated two-year incidence of clinical worsening reached nearly 26% in the pulmonary-artery denervation group. In contrast, the medical therapy alone group experienced a clinical worsening incidence of nearly 52%.
Safety and Procedural Complications
Procedural safety remained high throughout the multicenter investigation. Researchers observed no procedural complications outside of two patients who developed access-site hematomas in the pulmonary-artery denervation arm. Within the control group receiving medical therapy alone, one patient experienced an access-site hematoma.
Furthermore, analysis of the trial data revealed no significant differences in the frequency of adverse events across both study groups, pointing to a manageable safety profile for the procedure.
Did You Know?
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the primary endpoint of the PADN-HF-PH trial?
The main result tracked was clinical worsening, which researchers characterized as a combination of death, heart or lung transplantation, hospitalization for HF, outpatient worsening of HF, or a drop in the 6-minute walk distance.
How many patients participated in this multicenter trial?
A total of 264 participants took part in this Chinese multicenter study, being assigned at random to receive either medical care by itself or pulmonary-artery denervation combined with medical therapy.
What were the main findings regarding clinical worsening?
Data published by Hang Zhang, MD, and Qiguang Wang, MD, along with their colleagues, indicated that the Kaplan-Meier projected two-year rate of clinical worsening hovered close to 26% for the pulmonary-artery denervation cohort versus approximately 52% for those receiving medical therapy alone.
Explore More: Visit ACC’s ESC Congress 2026 coverage page to discover the newest scientific findings and essential insights driving cardiovascular medicine forward.
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