Clinical Effects Of Inhaled Nitric Oxide On Pulmonary Hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension is a common clinical disorder which may result from heart diseases, lung diseases and pulmonary vascular diseases. At present, the treatments of vasodilators on severe pulmonary hypertension have not been satisfactory and brought about many side effects. It is an important subject to seek further more effective therapies on pulmonary hypertension. Since 1987 the chemical nature of endothelium- derived relaxing factor (EDRF) was recognized as nitric oxide ( NO) , studies on NO have widely been unfolded. In 1992 NO was appraised as the molecule of the year. It has been certain that NO has various biologic actions which cover a potent vasodilation, inhibiting platelet aggregation and adhesion, an effector mechanism for macrophage-induced cytotoxicity, a neural medium in several specific neural pathways and so on. Of them the studies on effect of inhaled NO on pulmonary hypertension is of a vital significance. In order to evaluate the role of inhaled NO in testing pulmonary vascular responsiveness and explore the dose-response relationship to inhaled NO and determine the safty and clinical efficacy of long-term No administration in patients with pulmonary hypertension. A series of clinical studies were conducted, including acute effects of inhaled NO on hemodynamics and cardiac function in patients with pulmonary hypertension, a dose-response study on inhaled NO and effect of prolonged treatment with NO in patients with pulmonary hypertension.