BackgroundInternational guidelines for the treatment of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) recommend the use of risk stratification to optimise therapy to achieve and maintain a low-risk profile. However, recommended methods require hospital-based investigations. We sought to develop a method for daily, remote risk evaluation.MethodsConsecutive patients (n=5820) with pulmonary hypertension (PH) were identified from the ASPIRE registry and stepwise Cox regression applied to identify parameters associated with survival. A physiological risk score was applied to all patients and survival assessed by the Kaplan-Meier method. Physical activity was measured in patients with PAH implanted with insertable cardiac monitors (ICM, n=80) to provide a remote measure of exercise capacity. In patients with PAH and implanted pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) monitor and ICM (n=28) we undertook a time-stratified bidirectional case–crossover study to determine the physiology of therapeutic escalation (TE) and clinical worsening and a remote physiological risk score applied to the data.ResultsAge, male sex, PH aetiology, WHO functional class (FC), incremental shuttle walk-distance (ISWD), heart rate reserve (HRR) and total pulmonary resistance (TPR) as independent predictors of survival. Mortality increased with each decile of baseline physiological risk (p<0.001). In patients with PAH, thresholds of physiological risk were used to classify patients into low-, intermediate-low-, intermediate-high-, and high-risk groups for one-year mortality, which were well matched to COMPERA-2.0 score-stratified groups (Cohen’s weighted Kappa 0.61). ICM-measured physical activity decreased with indicators of increased clinical risk (WHO-FC, NT-proBNP, ISWD, COMPERA-2.0, p<0.0001). Following TE, remote monitored mean PAP and TPR were reduced, and cardiac output (CO) and physical activity increased at days seven, four, 22 and 42 respectively (p<0.05). Clinical worsening events (CWE) were preceded by an increased remote monitored mean PAP and TPR and reduced CO and physical activity (p<0.05). Change in remote physiological risk score identifiable six days after TE and twelve days prior to a CWE (p<0.05).ConclusionRemote risk evaluation may facilitate personalised medicine and proactive management. The physiological risk score accurately stratifies patients with PH and may be applied to remote monitoring data for early evaluation of clinical efficacy and detection of clinical worsening.