Treatment of severe status asthmaticus with nitric oxide.
The paper reports on a 13-year-old girl with chronic asthma who presented in acute respiratory failure following an exacerbation of her disease. Nitric oxide was added to the ventilator circuit at 7 ppm and then 15 ppm after the patient failed to respond to bronchodilators and steroids. This was followed by rapid improvement in respiratory mechanics and blood gases with no adverse effects. Nitric oxide appears to have a direct relaxing effect on the bronchial smooth muscle.
Rishani
R
R
Department of Pediatrics, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon.
El-Khatib
M
M
Mroueh
S
S
D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000293:Adolescent; D001784:Blood Gas Analysis; D001993:Bronchodilator Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013224:Status Asthmaticus / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D001993:Bronchodilator Agents; D009569:Nitric Oxide