• Adel Mohamed, Nehad Nasef, Vibhuti Shah, and Patrick J McNamara.
• 1Division of Neonatology, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada. 2Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. 3Division of Neonatology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada. 4Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
• Pediatr Crit Care Me. 2014 Feb 1;15(2):148-54.

ObjectivesTo determine the effect of vasopressin therapy on the efficacy of oxygenation and arterial pressure in infants with severe persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn.DesignRetrospective case study.SettingNeonatal ICU, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.SubjectsNeonates with severe persistent pulmonary hypertension.InterventionIntravenous infusion of vasopressin.Measurements And Main ResultsTen infants satisfied the inclusion criteria. Inhaled nitric oxide was used for median (interquartile range) duration of 15 hours (11-28 hr) prior to vasopressin commencement. Vasopressin was initiated at a mean dose of 0.0002 ± 0.0002 U/kg/min for a median (interquartile range) duration of 49 hours (13-95 hr). Administration of vasopressin was associated with an improvement in oxygenation index, peak effect 6 hours after drug initiation (p = 0.01), and a reduction in inhaled nitric oxide dose (p < 0.05). There was a concomitant improvement in blood pressure (p < 0.05) and urine output (p < 0.05), without drop in the serum sodium level or worsening in serum lactate level.ConclusionsAlthough there is limited experience of vasopressin use in persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn infants, our case series suggests it to be a potential adjunctive therapy for improving the efficacy of oxygenation and systemic hypotension. A prospective randomized trial is needed to confirm its efficacy and safety in the management of severe persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn.

29 keywords...

hide…