Therapeutic Effect of Sildenafil in Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of sildenafil(SIL) in the treatment of neonatal pulmonary hypertension.Methods Thirty full-term and nearly full-term neonates with persistent pulmonary hypertension(PPHN) were randomly assigned to two groups: 18 infants in treatment group received 0.5 mg·kg-1 of oral sildenafil every 6 h for 3 days,and 12 infants in control group received placebo.All infants received comprehensive treatment including mechanical ventilation,expansion of infusion,and so on.Arterial blood gases were taken before and 3 days after treatment.Oxygenation index(OI) was calculated.Hear rate,blood pressure,vomit and so on were recorded.Results After 3 days of treatment,all infants get significantly higher PaO2 and lower OI and PAP(all P0.01).Meanwhile,we observed significantly better oxygenation parameters(PaO2,OI) and lower pulmonary artery pressure(PAP) in treatment group than in control group after 3 days of SIL administration.No side effects happened in all patients treated with SIL.Conclusion Oral sildenafil is an effective and safe drug to reduce PAP and improve oxygenation in patients with PPHN.