Open AccessIs sildenafil an effective therapy in the management of persistent pulmonary hypertension?
Author(s) -
Hakam Yaseen,
Maha Darwich,
Hossam Hamdy
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of clinical neonatology/journal of clinical neonatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1658-6093
pISSN - 2249-4847
DOI - 10.4103/2249-4847.105958
Subject(s) - sildenafil , medicine , persistent pulmonary hypertension , pulmonary hypertension , vascular resistance , refractory (planetary science) , nitric oxide , oxygenation , cgmp specific phosphodiesterase type 5 , anesthesia , cardiology , hemodynamics , physics , astrobiology
Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) is a life-threatening neonatal pathology resulting from poor hemodynamic and respiratory transition to extra uterine life. Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) is a current, commonly used treatment of PPHN. However, iNO is not available therapy in many developing countries and around 50% of infants with PPHN do not respond to iNO therapy. Sildenafil is a phosphodiesterase inhibitor type 5 (PDE5) that has been shown to selectively reduce pulmonary vascular resistance in both animal models and adult humans. Recent studies have found that in PPHN, administration of Sildenafil was associated with a significant increase in the oxygenation and a reduction in mortality with no clinically important side effects.