Inhaled Iloprost as a First-Line Therapy for Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn

PURPOSE: Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) is a potentially fatal disease. Inhaled iloprost, a stable analogue of prostacyclin, has recently been used as a therapeutic option. However, there are no clinical guidelines on the use of iloprost, specifically for neonates. This study aimed to suggest the use of inhaled iloprost as a rescue therapy for PPHN based on our experience.METHODS: The efficacy and adverse events of inhaled iloprost were evaluated prospectively in nine full-term neonates with PPHN. We monitored the following parameters: fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO₂), respiratory severity score (RSS), heart rate, and mean blood pressure.RESULTS: The inhalation dose was 1 to 2 µg/kg initially, and 4 to 8 inhalations per day were applied over 2 to 8 days, except in the case of one neonate who died 2 days after birth. Echocardiographic findings, changes in FiO₂, and RSS improved within the next 7 days in eight of the nine patients. Severe side effects on heart rate and blood pressure were not observed.CONCLUSION: Our experience suggests that inhaled iloprost can be used as a first-line treatment in newborn infants with PPHN when inhaled nitric oxide is not available. To the best of our knowledge, this report is the first prospective case series on the use of inhaled iloprost in PPHN.

Therapeutic effect of inhaled Iloprost on pediatric pulmonary hypertension after congenital heart disease operation / 中国小儿急救医学

Objective To study the therapeutic effects of inhaled iloprost on pediatric pulmonary hypertension after congenital heart disease operation and to investigate the mechanisms of iloprost.Methods Thirteen 10 min every time,every 4 hours for 48 h after the surgery.We used the 24 h cardiac monitoring and ultrasonic cardiography for hemodynamical monitoring.We examined the blood cAMP and cGMP by ELISA assay.Results The patients were(17.88±12.56) months old with average weight of(9.29±3.59) kg.The right atrial pressure,systolic pulmonary arterial pressure,systolic pulmonary arterial pressure/systolic blood pressure were(11.5±1.41)mm Hg,(61.64±13.6) mm Hg and 0.66±0.16 before the treatment and they were(9.88±1.88) mm Hg,(47.67±12.18) mm Hg and 0.52±0.15 at the time point of 20 min after the treatment.For all the three parameters,there were significant differences before and after treatment.The effect of iloprost continues to 120 min later.The cAMP level was(335.75±127.31) μg/L before iloprost inhalation and increased to(519.68±148.54)μg/L at the time point of 20 min after inhaling iloprost,showing a significant difference(P＜0.01).Blood pressure,cGMP level and ventilator parameters showed no notable difference before and after the treatment.Conclusion Inhaled iloprost significantly improves pulmonary hemodynamics in children with pulmonary hypertension after congenital heart disease operation,which might be achieved by increasing the blood cAMP.However,systemic blood pressure and respiratory function keep unaffected after iloprost inhalation.