[Prostaglandins in newborn infants with severe cardiopathy]

Abstract

Between February 1983 and December 1985 authors have studied 26 newborn infants with severe congenital heart disease who received prostaglandin E1 infusion as therapy. Onset of therapy was before 5 days of age in 15 patients, between 5 and 7 days of age in 7 cases and after 14 days of age in the remaining ones. Initial dose was 0.05 mcg/kg/minutes and mean duration of infusion was 131.9 +/- 19.0 hours. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to pulmonary and systemic blood flows: Group I, with cyanosis and diminished pulmonary blood flow (12 cases); Group II, with diminished systemic blood flow (10 cases); and group III, with cyanosis and normal or increased pulmonary blood flow (4 cases). Most patients of groups I (10/12) and II (9/10) improved levels of blood PO2: mean increments of 17.8 +/- 7.4 and 17.5 +/- 13.3 torr respectively. Peripheral pulses also improved in four extremities in patients from group II; systolic and diastolic pressures increased 16 +/- 9.6 and 5 +/- 2.2 mmHg, respectively. No improvement was observed in patients from group III, with exception of patients with transposition of great vessels. Most frequent complication of prostaglandin infusion was hyperthermia, which was observed in 16 cases but disappeared in all with moderate reduction of doses. Appropriate surgery was performed in 19 patients, with an overall survival of 52.6%. In conclusion, prostaglandin infusion appears to be a very valued tool to improve the hemodynamic condition in newborn infants with severe congenital heart disease and thus allow the practice of corrective surgery during first month of life.