title: Patient characteristics in persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn.
abstract: 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 with inhaled nitric oxide had maladaptation/maldevelopment as pathophysiological mechanism and a gestational age >37 weeks. In term newborns, types of pathophysiological mechanism (P < .001) and Oxygen Index (P = .02) were independent predicting risk factors for PPHN-related mortality. Analysis of preexisting disease and outcome categories in term newborns showed only a significant correlation between the use of iNO and respiratory complaints (P = .03), not confirmed by multivariate analysis and regression analysis. Conclusions. PPHN is a serious, often fatal condition. The incidence of PPHN in preterm newborns is high. In term survivors, PPHN had no additional role in morbidity/outcome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Cardiology, Beatrix Children's Hospital, University Medical Centre Groningen, University of Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M T R
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Roofthooft
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Elema
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Bergman
authors.forename: R M F
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Berger