Background: persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) is a serious medical emergency in the neonatal period which occurs because of failure of transition of the fetal circulation into the normal circulation. The condition is characterized by persistently elevated pulmonary vascular pressures and carries with it a high rate of mortality and morbidity.
Objective: to evaluate the effect of inhaled versus intravenous magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) as a treatment of pulmonary hypertension in neonates.
Methodology: this is an observational prospective study done in Sohag university hospital in the neonatal intensive care unit during the period from January 2016 to December 2017 on 50 neonates who were diagnosed to have PPHN by echocardiography. In this study, we compared the effect of intravenous versus the inhalational MgSO4 on reducing the PHN and SILDENAFIL was used as an adjuvant treatment.
Results: there was a statistically significant difference between the three studied groups as regard: age, sex, the degree of respiratory distress, the pulmonary artery pressure before treatment, side effects of treatment, duration of treatment and the SpO2 after treatment. Also there was a great difference in SpO2 in the right hand before and after treatment. Pulmonary artery pressure as well differs greatly before and after treatment in the three groups.
Conclusion: based on this study we don't recommend the use of nebulized MgSO4 alone as a treatment of PPHN in neonates.