OBJECTIVE: To describe a series of neonates with severe persistent pulmonary hypertension, who received milrinone as the main treatment for pulmonary vasodilatation. METHODS: Retrospective analysis by chart review of 28 neonates with persistent pulmonary hypertension. A dose of 0.75µg/kg/min of milrinone was given, after a loading dose of 50µg/kg. The oxygenation index (OI) was calculated before and 72 hours after the medication. RESULTS: All infants received milrinone and sildenafil was associated to milrinone in 54%. The use of dopamine assured normal blood pressure during milrinone treatment in all patients. Continuous sedation, alcalinization and surfactant were additional measures in the treatment. During the hospitalization period, seven (25%) patients died and all of them presented an OI increase after milrinone (the average OI rose from 25 to 38). All but one of the 21 surviving patients presented improvement of the OI with milrinone, with a reduction of the mean index from 19 to 7. CONCLUSIONS: Milrinone can be used to treat persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn, in the absence of nitric oxide. The reduction of the OI during treatment was associated with clinical improvement. The failure rate for milrinone treatment in this series of cases was similar to that found in the literature regarding nitric oxide.
persistent fetal circulation syndrome; phosphodiesterase inhibitors; milrinone
