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Review
. 2023 Jun 8;5(6):e0931.
doi: 10.1097/CCE.0000000000000931. eCollection 2023 Jun.

Inhaled Prostacyclins for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Heather Torbic  1 , Aftabh Saini  2 , Mary Pat Harnegie  3 , Divyajot Sadana  4 , Abhijit Duggal  4
Affiliations
Review

Inhaled Prostacyclins for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Heather Torbic et al. Crit Care Explor. .

Abstract

Studies evaluating inhaled prostacyclins for the management of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) have produced inconsistent results regarding their effect on oxygenation. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the change in the Pao2/Fio2 ratio after administration of an inhaled prostacyclin in patients with ARDS.

Data sources: We searched Ovid Medline, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Cochrane, Scopus, and Web of Science.

Study selection: We included abstracts and trials evaluating administration of inhaled prostacyclins in patients with ARDS.

Data extraction: Change in the Pao2/Fio2 ratio, Pao2, and mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) were extracted from included studies. Evidence certainty and risk of bias were evaluated using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation and the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool.

Data synthesis: We included 23 studies (1,658 patients) from 6,339 abstracts identified by our search strategy. The use of inhaled prostacyclins improved oxygenation by increasing the Pao2/Fio2 ratio from baseline (mean difference [MD], 40.35; 95% CI, 26.14-54.56; p < 0.00001; I2 = 95%; very low quality evidence). Of the eight studies to evaluate change in Pao2, inhaled prostacyclins also increased Pao2 from baseline (MD, 12.68; 95% CI, 2.89-22.48 mm Hg; p = 0.01; I2 = 96%; very low quality evidence). Only three studies evaluated change in mPAP, but inhaled prostacyclins were found to improve mPAP from baseline (MD, -3.67; 95% CI, -5.04 to -2.31 mm Hg; p < 0.00001; I2 = 68%; very low quality evidence).

Conclusions: In patients with ARDS, use of inhaled prostacyclins improves oxygenation and reduces pulmonary artery pressures. Overall data are limited and there was high risk of bias and heterogeneity among included studies. Future studies evaluating inhaled prostacyclins for ARDS should evaluate their role in ARDS subphenotypes, including cardiopulmonary ARDS.

Keywords: acute respiratory distress syndrome; mechanical ventilation; meta-analysis; oxygenation; prostacyclin; pulmonary vasodilator.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have disclosed that they do not have any potential conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses flowchart. CINAHL = Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Effect of prostacyclins on Pao2/Fio2 ratio. df = degrees of freedom.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Effect of prostacyclins on Pao2. df = degrees of freedom.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Effect of prostacyclins on mean pulmonary artery pressure. df = degrees of freedom.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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