Tolazoline in persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn.

Thirteen critically ill infants received tolazoline because of sever hypoxaemia refractory to administration of 100 percent oxygen and mechanical ventilation (in 12 infants). Six (46.15%) responded with a mean increase in PaO2 of 151.32 torr within one hour after starting tolazoline. Only 4 of these receiving tolazaline could have the treatment stopped when oxygen requirement was 60 percent without recurrent hypoxaemia. The survival in the responders was 83 percent. Seven patients had little or no improvement in PaO2 following tolazoline and only 3 (42%) of these infants survived. The overall survival was 61 percent. All infants experienced complications possibly related to tolazoline.