OBJECTIVES To determine the clinical presentation, risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment outcome of Saudi infants with black lung persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN). Methods: This is a retrospective review of all neonates with PPHN presented to the Armed Force Hospital Southern Region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from January 2012 to December 2014. Results: Ten term and near t...

In utero, pulmonary blood flow is closely circumscribed and oxygenation and ventilation occur via the placental circulation. Within the first few breaths of air-breathing life, the perinatal pulmonary circulation undergoes a dramatic transition as pulmonary blood flow increases 10-fold and the pulmonary arterial blood pressure decreases by 50% within 24 hours of birth. With the loss of the plac...

Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) is a clinical syndrome characterized by failure of the lung circulation to achieve or sustain the normal drop in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) at birth. Past laboratory studies identified the important role of nitric oxide (NO)-cGMP signaling in the regulation of the perinatal lung circulation, leading to the development and applicat...

Objective. To assess the impact of PPHN on mortality, morbidity, and behavioural skills. Methods. A retrospective observational study of 143 newborns with PPHN, over an 11-year period, using objective health-status data from medical records and family doctors, and subjective health status data from a standardized Child Behaviour Checklist. Results. The majority of patients were males, treated w...

Nitric oxide (NO) has vasodilatory effects on the pulmonary vasculature in adults and animals. We examined the effects on systemic oxygenation and blood pressure of inhaling up to 80 parts per million by volume of NO at FiO2 0.9 for up to 30 minutes by 6 infants with persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN). In all infants this treatment rapidly and significantly increased preduc...

The condition of a neonate with severe persistent pulmonary hypertension who became severely hypoxic and acidotic despite intensive conventional treatment improved dramatically after endotracheal administration of tolazoline. This logical mode of administration of vasodilator therapy for this condition has not been reported before. It seemed to be life saving in this case and it warrants furthe...

Respiratory distress in newborn infants is common immediately after birth and is transient in most cases. However, when it persists, diagnostic procedures to determine the etiology and therapy are required to resolve the underlying problem. There are three common disorders that cause respiratory distress after birth: transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN), respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) ...

1. Describe the factors that modulate the transition of pulmonary circulation from in utero to after birth. 2. Delineate temporal changes in pulmonary vascular resistance during fetal life. 3. List the substances that play a role in vasoregulation of normal fetal pulmonary circulation. 4. Delineate the role of nitric oxide in increasing pulmonary blood flow at birth. 5. Describe the common phys...

Objectives: This study is designed to explore factors associated with death in newborns persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN). Methods: The clinical data of PPHN cases the past ten years from a neonatal center China were retrospectively collected and analyzed, death-related attributable analyzed by binary stepwise logistic regression analysis. Results: A total 161 neonates included this stud...