Comparison of nifedipine and captopril in children with pulmonary hypertension due to bronchopneumonia.

This study included 40 children, who were diagnosed with pneumonia and pulmonary hypertension (from the radiographic and clinical features), was performed at Yuzuncu Yil University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, from September 2003 to July 2005. Patients who had pneumonia and congenital heart disease or systemic hypertension or renal and liver disease together were excluded from the study. Blood gas analysis and oxygen concentration, measured with pulse oximetry, were performed in all patients. Besides chest X-ray, electrocardiography and echocardiographic search was also carried out. Echocardiographic examination was performed by using M mode, two-dimensional echocardiography and colored Doppler sonotron Vingmed CFM 725. At echocardiographic examination, pulmonary hypertension is defined as above 35 mmHg of pulmonary artery pressure. For echocardiographic examination, patients with pulmonary hypertension were divided into two groups. Captopril (2 mg/kg/day, three doses a day) and nifedipine (0.5 mg/kg/day, three doses a day) were given to the first and the second group, respectively. Echocardiography was performed daily until normal pulmonary artery pressure was achieved. At the beginning of the treatment, the patients were treated with double antibiotics and antibiotic change was carried out in needed cases at the follow up. Digoxin was administered to the cases of respiratory infection with heart failure.