Description
Applications of NO – Nitric Oxide Gas in Medicine
Using NO as a Vasodilator:
Exogenous NO gas diffuses through the alveoli to the smooth muscle cells of pulmonary blood vessels and causes vasodilation.
When NO gas enters the bloodstream, it is rapidly inactivated by hemoglobin, and the vasodilatory effect is concentrated only in the pulmonary blood vessels, without causing systemic vasodilation.
Unlike other vasodilators such as Prostacyclin and Magnesium sulfate, which are administered intravenously and cause systemic vasodilation and hypotension,
this selective vasodilatory effect makes the use of NO gas a safe and effective treatment method.
Using Nitric Oxide Gas to Treat Respiratory Failure in Newborns:
Currently, many research reports worldwide have shown the effectiveness of NO inhalation in treating newborns with severe respiratory failure due to pulmonary hypertension.
Moreover, this method has a lower cost and higher applicability. Recent studies have noted that NO inhalation can be used for various treatment, evaluation, and prevention purposes for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
In both full-term and late preterm (>34 weeks) newborns, persistent pulmonary hypertension is a common cause of respiratory failure. Conventional treatment for persistent pulmonary hypertension includes mechanical ventilation, sedation, and blood alkalization.
Randomized controlled clinical trials have shown that NO inhalation safely improves arterial blood oxygenation, reduces the need for ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) treatment,
and also reduces treatment costs, minimizes invasive risks, and has no side effects.
