Effects of Long-Term Sildenafil Treatment for Pulmonary Hypertension in Infants with Chronic Lung Disease
Received 6 June 2008; received in revised form 5 August 2008; accepted 10 September 2008. published online 28 October 2008.
Objective
To determine the clinical course and outcomes of infants with chronic lung disease (CLD) and pulmonary hypertension (PH) who received prolonged sildenafil therapy.
Study design
We conducted a retrospective review of 25 patients <2 years of age with CLD in whom sildenafil was initiated for the treatment of PH while they were hospitalized from January 2004 to October 2007. Hemodynamic improvement was defined by a 20% decrease in the ratio of pulmonary to systemic systolic arterial pressure or improvement in the degree of ventricular septal flattening with serial echocardiograms.
Results
Chronic sildenafil therapy (dose range, 1.5-8.0 mg/kg/d) was initiated at a median of 171 days of age (range, 14-673 days of age) for a median duration of 241 days (range, 28-950 days). Twenty-two patients (88%) achieved hemodynamic improvement after a median treatment duration of 40 days (range, 6-600 days). Eleven of the 13 patients with interval estimates of systolic pulmonary artery pressure with echocardiogram showed clinically significant reductions in PH. Five patients (20%) died during the follow-up period. Adverse events leading to cessation or interruption of therapy occurred in 2 patients, 1 for recurrent erections, and the other had the medication held briefly because of intestinal pneumatosis.
Conclusion
These data suggest that chronic sildenafil therapy is well-tolerated, safe, and effective for infants with PH and CLD.
aDivision of Critical Care, The Children's Hospital and University of Colorado Denver, School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
bDivision of Cardiology, The Children's Hospital and University of Colorado Denver, School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
cDivision of Pulmonary Medicine, The Children's Hospital and University of Colorado Denver, School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
dThe Pediatric Heart-Lung Center, Department of Pediatrics, and the Department of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics, The Children's Hospital and University of Colorado Denver, School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
Supported by Thrasher Foundation, NIH NCCR 5 K23 RR021021, and NHLBI 1RO1 HL085703. The authors report no conflicts of interest.
ABSTRACT