Beyond hemodynamics and treatment targets, there are conversations with patients that rarely make it into clinical guidelines — yet they’re often the ones that matter most. That’s the message from Susanne McDevitt, DNP, a critical care nurse practitioner with the Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) Program at Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
In a conversation with RheumatologyLive, McDevitt discussed an informal talk on pulmonary hypertension she led alongside Melisa Wilson, DNP, APRN, BC, at the Association of Pulmonary Advanced Practice Providers (APAPP) National Conference, held in Las Vegas in late June 2026.
Topics covered included intimacy-related concerns, guidance on pregnancy and contraception, the timing and framing of palliative care conversations, and the wellbeing and resilience of advanced practice providers working in a high-demand specialty.
A valuable reminder: caring for people living with pulmonary hypertension also means knowing how to listen to what lies beyond the numbers.