On this episode of JHLT: The Podcast, the JHLT Digital Media Editors explore two studies from the April issue of The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation. Digital Media Editor Erika Lease, MD, a transplant pulmonologist at the University of Washington in Seattle, hosts this episode.

First, Dr. Lease and Digital Media Editor Van-Khue Ton, MD interview their first guests, Paul J. Scheel III, MD and Steven Hsu, MD, both of Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Scheel was first author and Dr. Hsu was senior author on the study "Occult right ventricular dysfunction and right ventricular-vascular uncoupling in left ventricular assist device recipients." The main finding of the study is that LVAD recipients have depressed intrinsic RV contractility and reduced RV compensation.

Drs. Scheel and Hsu give an overview of RV pressure-volume loops and their measurements, and discuss the impact of LVAD on intrinsic RV contractility, contractile reserve, and vascular coupling. If you want to know how these findings are important to clinical care, you'll need to listen to the episode!

Next, Dr. Lease and Digital Media Editor David Schibilsky, MD, interview their next guest, Joshua Diamond, MD, of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Diamond was first author on the study "Development and validation of primary graft dysfunction predictive algorithm for lung transplant candidates." The authors of the study set out to develop a clinically useful and generalizable PGD prediction model to aid in clinical decision making.

Dr. Diamond discusses the factors they considered in building the model, the model's strengths over other approaches, and its limitations. Tune in to learn more!

Follow along at www.jhltonline.org/current, or, if you're an ISHLT member, access your Journal membership at www.ishlt.org/jhlt.

Don't already get the Journal and want to read along? Join the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation at www.ishlt.org for a free subscription, or subscribe today at www.jhltonline.org.