Inhaled nitric oxide.

The major objective of this lecture is to describe the effects of inhaling low levels of nitric oxide (NO) on the hemodynamic and gas exchange function of both the normal and diseased lung. Considerable attention will be paid to safety and hazards of inhaled NO therapy. During the past few years remarkable progress has been made in understanding the NO-guanylate cyclase signal transduction system. NO has been given considerable clinical investigation in pulmonary artery hypertension and the adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients. This lecture concentrates on this area of clinical research.