Dopamine-resistant hypotension and severe retinopathy of prematurity.

Objective: To examine the relationship between the cause or severity of hypotension and the development of severe ROP (sROP) (≥stage 3 or stage 2 with plus disease in zone I or II).

Study Design: Infants (<28 weeks' gestation, n = 242) were observed for hypotension and treated with a standardized hypotension-treatment protocol. Hypotension was classified as resulting from one of the following causes: (1) culture-positive infection and/or necrotizing enterocolitis; (2) patent ductus arteriosus ligation; or (3) "idiopathic" (no cause identified other than prematurity), and as being either dopamine responsive or dopamine resistant.