Research Group Silvia Ulrich

We look at potential exercise enhancing therapies and we investigate the effect of hypoxia on patients with pulmonary vascular disease living at low altitude in Zurich, but also at high altitude in South America. We study effects of supplemental oxygen therapy or vasodilators on pulmonary hemodynamics in normoxic or hypoxic conditions. We study pulmonary hemodynamics on exercise in patients with differently classified pulmonary hypertension. We investigate the effects of breathing normobaric or hypobaric hypoxic air on pulmonary hemodynamics, exercise capacity and quality of live. In translational research projects, we study markers of iron metabolism, micro-RNA and metabolomic in PH. In other randomized controlled trials, we investigate the effect of eccentric exercise on exercise capacity, pulmonary hemodynamics and other cardiopulmonary and cerebral parameters and quality of life in patients with pulmonary hypertension, chronic lung- or left heart disease and chronically diseased patients during ambulatory rehabilitation. Together with international colleagues we look at the prognostic value of invasive exercise pulmonary hemodynamics in patients with dyspnea or manifest PH. In additional randomized-controlled trials, we look at the effect of exposure to the hypobaric hypoxic environment at high altitude on human physiology including sleep-related breathing disorders, exercise capacity, and cardiopulmonary parameters such as hemodynamics, right heart function, cardiac repolarization, pulmonary function testing and others in healthy and patients with cardiopulmonary diseases going to high altitude, and in highlanders living at high altitude, exposed to supplemental oxygen therapy or relocation to low altitude. In these patients and healthy subjects, we investigate effects of increased blood oxygenation by respiratory stimulation with acetazolamide or supplemental oxygen therapy on wellbeing, adverse events, hemodynamics, sleep related breathing disorders, exercise capacity and cardiac function.

Projects

Effects of supplemental oxygen therapy during ambulation in patients with pulmonary vascular or chronic lung diseases.

In several investigator-initiated studies we investigate the effect of low- or high dose supplemental oxygen therapy on exercise capacity and pulmonary hemodynamics in patients with pulmonary hypertension, COPD, ILD and left heart failure.

Pulmonary hemodynamics on exercise

In single center studies performed in Zurich and in multicenter studies together with national and international experts, we investigate the effects of pulmonary hemodynamics assessed on exercise on prognosis in patients with dyspnea and differently classified pulmonary hypertension.

Pulmonary hemodynamics and right heart function in hypoxic conditions

In prospective and randomized-controlled studies, we investigate the effect of normobaric and hypobaric hypoxia on pulmonary hemodynamics and preventive effects of supplemental oxygen therapy or acetazolamide in healthy and patients with pulmonary hypertension and other respiratory diseases going to high altitude.

Pulmonary hemodynamics and effects of supplemental oxygen or descent to low altitude on exercise capacity, pulmonary hemodynamics and sleep related breathing disorders in patients with pulmonary vascular disease or patients at risk for pulmonary hypertension living at high altitude

In prospective trials we investigated the effect supplemental oxygen therapy or descent to low altitude in residents of high altitude with pulmonary arterial hypertension in Quito, Ecuador (2850m), and in highlanders at risk for PH in Aksay, Kyrgystan (3250m). In both locations, these high-altitude residents with different medical conditions had hemodynamic assessments and exercise tests at high altitude on hypoxic ambient air and with supplemental oxygen therapy and sleep studies at high altitude. Thereafter, the were taken by bus to low altitude and had all investigations repeated there.