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Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the term neonate: a strategy for management
1Paediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Units, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, Great Ormond Street, London WC1N 3JH, UK, quen.mok@gosh-tr.nthames.nhs.uk
Unlabelled:
The management of 32 consecutive term infants referred with persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn were reviewed. Despite indices suggesting severe cardiorespiratory failure with a median alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient of 591 torr (inter-quartile range 432-618) and oxygenation index of 31 (18-44), all but one patient responded to conventional treatment with inhaled nitric oxide and high frequency oscillatory ventilation.
Conclusion:
Patients should be referred early to centres where maximal conventional support can be offered before consideration for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.