The baby can and will be suctioned as needed. This respirator has an alarm system to assure that it is functioning properly. This device is most often used for specific conditions and continued until the problem is significantly improved or resolved. PPHN occurs in about 1 out of 800 births each year. It also complicates other serious diseases in newborn infants, including meconium aspiration syndrome, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, infection and respiratory distress syndrome.
Pulmonary hypertension means that the blood pressure in the pulmonary artery is too high.
This results in too little blood flow to the lungs, causing the blood oxygen level to be dangerously low. Until recently the way we treated PPHN was with medications that caused the pulmonary artery to dilate or get bigger, allowing more blood to enter the lungs. Often these medications have been unsuccessful due to the baby's blood pressure, to the body becoming too low or the effect of the medication not lasting long enough. The Children's Hospital is one of only a few centers in the country now able to offer babies with PPHN a new method of treatment. This results in increased oxygen in the blood.