The Use of Inhaled Nitric Oxide in a Tertiary Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

There is currently insufficient evidence to create a standardised protocol for the use and weaning of inhaled nitric oxide (iNO). We aimed to determine our application of iNO in this patient cohort. We performed a retrospective chart review on patients receiving iNO therapy for persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) from a single tertiary neonatal centre in 2014. The data was entered into the European Inhaled Nitric Oxide Registry. Thirty two babies were treated with iNO during this period, 9 of which were less than 32 weeks gestation. The median time to initiation of iNO treatment was 4-5 hours and the median duration of treatment was 74 hours for term and 66 hours for preterm infants. We recommend that further use of the European Inhaled Nitric Oxide Registry across more neonatal units in the Republic of Ireland could lead to the development of national guidelines on iNO use and weaning in this cohort.