Inhaled Nitric Oxide
Premature babies have tiny, underdeveloped lungs that can’t nourish their brains and bodies with the oxygen they need to survive. For this reason, many preemies are hooked up to mechanical ventilation to help them breathe.
Two recent studies indicate that combining nitric oxide and ventilator therapy may minimize the risk of serious breathing complications and help prevent a number of conditions such as cerebral palsy in some infants.
Benefits of Nitric Oxide
One of the greatest benefits of nitric oxide therapy is that it helps reduce the risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a common complication that occurs when infants are hooked up to ventilators for long amounts of time. Almost 10,000 babies develop this lung disease each year in the United States.
According to the National Institute of Health, BPD significantly increases the risk of long-term lung complications, neurodevelopmental conditions such as cerebral palsy, and learning difficulties in children.
