Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU) Course and Hospital Outcome of Infants With BPD Treated Using Inhaled Nitric Oxide

Recent studies (e.g. Schreiber 2003)1 have prompted several large current clinical trials on the use of inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) for the prevention of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in preterm infants. Results of these studies are not yet published and will be forthcoming Spring 2006. However, there is evidence to suggest that for patients with BPD, treatment with iNO may improve oxygenation2 and improve pulmonary blood flow by relaxing pulmonary vascular tone. 3 Also, there is a recent primate study that suggests in the face of existing BPD, treatment with iNO may decrease oxygen and ventilation requirements through a mechanism that helps preserve surfactant protein.4 Taken together, this preliminary work suggests there may be clinical benefit in treating established BPD with iNO. However, as few data exist on the clinical course of BPD patients treated with iNO, further description is necessary to evaluate iNO as a potential treatment modality for BPD. Since iNO has been used as adjunctive therapy for neonates at PCMC with serious respiratory disease, useful information on the relationship between BPD and iNO treatment may exist within our own patient population