Neonatal hypoxia and pulmonary vasospasm: response to tolazoline.
Forty-six neonates with hypoxemia were treated with tolazoline, a pulmonary vasodilator, within the first two days of life. Eight of ten (80%) infants without apparent lung disease responded with a mean increase in PaO2 of 116 torr within one hour of beginning tolazoline infusions. One of the responding infants and two nonresponders died. Thirty-six additional infants with a variety of pulmonary disorders had severe hypoxemia which was refractory to mechanical ventilation. Twenty-one (58%) responded with a mean increase in PaO2 of 130 torr within one hour after beginning tolazoline and 13 (62%) of these survived. Fifteen patients had little or no improvement in PaO2 following tolazoline and only three (20%) of these infants survived. Responders could not be distinguished from nonresponders by clinical or laboratory features prior to therapy with tolazoline. Fourteen infants experienced complications possibly related to tolazoline.
D005260:Female; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000139:chemically induced; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D011652:Pulmonary Circulation; D014043:Tolazoline / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D014043:Tolazoline