Antenatal use of bosentan and/or sildenafil attenuates pulmonary features in rats with congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

Background: Lung hypoplasia, pulmonary persistent hypertension of the newborn and its morphological changes are the main features in congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). This study was undertaken to investigate if antenatal use of sildenafil and/or bosentan attenuates vascular remodeling, promotes branching, and improves alveolarization in experimental nitrofeninduced CDH.

Methods: Nitrofen (100 mg) was gavage-fed to pregnant rats at post conception day (PCD) 9 to induce CDH.

Psychosocial parental support programs and short-term clinical outcomes in extremely low-birth-weight infants.

Objective: To describe the association between an individualized psychosocial parental support (PPS) program and short-term clinical outcomes of extremely low-birth-weight (ELBW) infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Methods: Medical records of ELBW infants (<1000 g) hospitalized in the NICU at Miami Children's Hospital between July 2006 and June 2008 were reviewed. Outborn infants admitted during their first 72 h of life and discharged home were included.

Significant weight loss in breastfed term infants readmitted for hyperbilirubinemia.

Background: Weight loss of greater than 7% from birth weight indicates possible feeding problems. Inadequate oral intake causes weight loss and increases the bilirubin enterohepatic circulation. The objective of this study was to describe the association between total serum bilirubin (TSB) levels and weight loss in healthy term infants readmitted for hyperbilirubinemia after birth hospitalization.

Oral sildenafil in infants with persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn: a pilot randomized blinded study.

Background: Persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) occurs in as many as 6.8 of 1000 live births. Mortality is approximately 10% to 20% with high-frequency ventilation, surfactant, inhaled nitric oxide, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation but is much higher when these therapies are not available.

Effect of aerosolized milrinone during drug-induced pulmonary hypertension in lambs.

We tested whether aerosolized milrinone in lambs selectively reduces drug-induced acute pulmonary hypertension without reducing the mean systemic blood pressure (MSBP). Seven, 2-3-week-old lambs were anesthetized (50 mg/kg ketamine), paralyzed (0.1 mg/kg vecuronium bromide) and mechanically ventilated.

Methemoglobinemia in an infant receiving nitric oxide after the use of eutectic mixture of local anesthetic.

High levels of methemoglobinemia can cause tissue hypoxia and cyanosis. We report the case of a 7-month-old girl with pulmonary dysplasia receiving inhaled nitric oxide who had cyanosis caused by methemoglobinemia after prolonged use of a eutectic mixture of local anesthetics cream.