Physicians

Department / Division
Medicine / Medicine-Pulmonary

Address
DUMC 102351
Durham, NC 27710

Appointment Telephone
919-668-7630

Office Telephone
919-684-6237

Fax Telephone
919-681-7502

Training

• MD, Hahnemann (Drexel University College of Medicine, Pennsylvania), 1982

Residency

• Internal Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, 1983-1986
• Pulmonary Medicine, Boston City Hospital (Massachusetts), 1986-1989

Clinical Interests
Evaluation for pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary thromboembolic disease, chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH)

Research Interests
General focus:
Both clinical research and patient care involves venous thromboembolic disease, and endstage lung disease.  The latter population includes primary and secondary pulmonary hypertension, severe emphysema (lung volume reduction surgery candidates) and all patients evaluated for lung transplantation.  Lung transplant clinical research focuses more heavily on the posttransplant setting.  Dr. Tapson is collaborating with basic science laboratories but not conducting basic research himself.

Specific research approaches:
The approaches utilized are single or multicenter clinical trials involving prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism, diagnostic approaches to deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, pharmacologic therapy for pulmonary hypertension, and immunosuppressive and antiinfective therapy for lung transplant patients.  Dr. Tapson has collaborated extensively with radiology in evaluating patients with venous thromboembolic disease and after lung transplantation, particularly with regard to evolving technology such as spiral computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.  Goals include establishing database for lung transplant and pulmonary hypertension patients (in progress), and continuing outcomes research.

Areas of expertise/national recognition:
These include venous thromboembolism, lung transplantation, and pulmonary hypertension (see committees).  Dr. Tapson currently serves as on both the American Thoracic Society and American College of Chest Physicians consensus panels for venous thromboembolism, and has published a book on this topic.  He has been invited to write a number of reviews on this topic and is completing a book chapter on pulmonary embolism for the Cecil Textbook of Medicine.  He was invited to Edinborough, Scotland last year to give the Sydney Watson Smith Memorial Lecture for the Royal College of Physicians (New Diagnostic and Therapeutic Modalities for Venous Thromboembolism).  He will chair two sessions on this topic at the American Thoracic Society Meeting in Chicago this year.

Key words:
Venous thromboembolism Low molecular weight heparin
Pulmonary embolism Lung transplantation
Deep venous thrombosis Immunosuppressive therapy
Magnetic resonance imaging Lung volume reduction surgery

Industry Relationships and Collaborations (What's this?)

This physician (or a member of their immediate family) has a working relationship (i.e. consulting, research, and/or educational services) with the companies listed below. These relations have been reported to the health system leadership and, when appropriate, management plans are in place to address potential conflicts.

• Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
• American Venous Forum
• Bayer
• Burson-Marstellar (WPP PLC)
• Cotherix (subsidiary of Actelion)
• Gilead Sciences, Inc.
• GlaxoSmithKline
• Haymarket Media
• Jones and Bartlett Publishers
• Med-IQ
• Merck Sharpe & Dohme (Merck & Co, USA)
• National Association of Managed Care
• Novartis
• OnPoint Resources
• Pipeline Medical Communications
• Prime Education
• Sanofi-Aventis
• Sarah B. Schlesinger, Inc
• Synergy Medical Education
• United Therapeutics Corp.
• UpToDate, Inc.

Representative Publications
Tapson VF and Restrepo C. Pulmonary Hypertension and Cor Pulmonale. In: Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. E Topol (ed.) Lippincott and Raven, Philadelphia, 1998. (1998)

Tapson VF. Venous Thromboembolism. In: Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. E Topol (ed.) Lippincott and Raven, Philadelphia, 1998. (1998)

Tapson VF. Pulmonary embolism: New diagnostic technology. N Engl J Med 1997;336:1449-51. (1997)

Barst RJ, Rubin LJ, Long WA, McGoon MD, Rich S. Badesch DB, Groves BM, Tapson VF, et al. Continuous intravenous prostacyclin versus conventional therapy in primary pulmonary hypertension: results of a 12-week randomized trial in 81 patients. N Engl J Med 1996;334:296-301. (1996)

Baz MA, Layish DT, Govert JA, Howell D, Lawrence CM, Davis RD and Tapson VF. Diagnostic yield of bronchoscopies after isolated lung transplantation. Chest 1996;110:84-8. (1996)

Murray JG, McAdams P, Erasmus JJ, Patz EF and Tapson VF. Complications of lung transplantation: radiologic findings. AJR 1996;166:1405-11. (1996)

Van Trigt P, Davis RD, Shaeffer GS, Gaynor JW, Landolfo KP, Higginbotham MB and Tapson VF. Survival benefits of heart and lung transplantation. Ann Surg 1996;223:576-84. (1996)