Residual pulmonary hypertension in children after treatment with inhaled nitric oxide: a follow-up study regarding cardiopulmonary and neurological symptoms.

UNLABELLED: Inhaled nitric oxide is a potent vasodilator in acute severe pulmonary hypertension and is increasingly used as rescue treatment in intensive care algorithms aiming at reducing severe hypoxaemia in neonates and children. Although the immediate effects may seem impressive, long-term outcome regarding residual pulmonary hypertension and other sequelae has been studied in only a very few patients. The aim of the present study was to evaluate residual pulmonary hypertension, cardiopulmonary or neurological symptoms in children after treatment with inhaled nitric oxide in severely hypoxaemic and/or pulmonary hypertensive mechanically ventilated children. The study was performed in four paediatric intensive care units in university hospitals in Sweden, Norway and Australia. Patients who had received inhaled nitric oxide as part of their intensive care treatment for severe hypoxaemia and/or pulmonary hypertension, and in whom 6 mo had elapsed since treatment, were included for evaluation. Thus 36 paediatric or neonatal patients were examined for circulatory, respiratory or neurological disorders with clinical examination, echocardiography, chest X-ray and a capillary blood sample. Four patients with congenital heart disease had residual pulmonary hypertension. Nine patients were receiving bronchodilators. Sixteen patients had minor (n = 15) or moderate (n = 1) changes on a chest X-ray. One patient had a possible delay in psychomotor development.

CONCLUSIONS

In spite of the severity of their primary illness, we found that the overwhelming majority of the surviving children were asymptomatic and doing well. The few residual circulatory and respiratory symptoms could be related to the initial condition.