Doctors at the Surya Mother and Child Super Speciality Hospital in Pune have recently conducted a study elucidating the efficacy of a rescue therapy technique for treating newborns who turn blue with low oxygen levels. This life-threatening condition, known as Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension (PPHN), occurs to approximately one in 500 newborns. Characterised by low oxygen levels, high pressure in the pulmonary arteries, breathing difficulties, and lethargy, PPHN can manifest within minutes after birth.
The rescue therapy the study explored was the utilization of a hormone called vasopressin. It works by increasing the blood pressure by constricting the blood vessels, and is approved for treating hypotension as well. The conductors studied 31 neonates to see the effects the hormone would have on them, the results of which were published in the American Journal of Perinatology. Their results showed that 29 out of 31 of these neonates responded favourably to the treatment, without any side effects.
Usually, PPHN is treated using high frequency ventilator and nitric oxide- both of which reduce the load on the heart and increase pulmonary blood flow. However, as Dr Sachin Shah, the director of Neonatal and Paediatric Intensive Care Services at Surya Hospitals in Pune elucidated, the use of vasopressin as a rescue therapy comes in handy in cases when the condition isn’t responsive to the standard treatments. While it is usually seen in newborns, it can occasionally occur in infants and young children as well due to genetic influences.
Overall, this study has provided conclusive evidence for the efficacy of the vasopressin rescue therapy in the treatment of PPHN in newborns, making it a viable treatment option in medical practice. It is thus necessary that healthcare providers observe for symptoms of PPHN in newborns and provide immediate medical attention as need be, in order to provide the highest quality of care.