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Case Reports
. 2024 Jun 7;14(2):e12396.
doi: 10.1002/pul2.12396. eCollection 2024 Apr.

Severe bronchospasm and acute respiratory failure associated with inhaled prostacyclin therapy

Donna Steinbacher  1 , Brian Murray  2 , Thomas Devlin  3 , Shannon S Carson  4 , H James Ford  5
Affiliations
Case Reports

Severe bronchospasm and acute respiratory failure associated with inhaled prostacyclin therapy

Donna Steinbacher et al. Pulm Circ. .

Abstract

Prostacyclin therapy is a mainstay of the management of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Inhaled prostacyclins present safe and effective options for the management of PAH that limit systemic side effects. We describe the first reported case of life-threatening bronchospasm and acute respiratory failure associated with inhaled prostacyclin administration.

Keywords: epoprostenol; pulmonary hypertension; treprostinil.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Peak inspiratory pressure over time after initiation of invasive mechanical ventilation. After intubation, the patient experienced elevated peak inspiratory pressures consistent with airway obstruction. These pressures were not responsive to aggressive medical management with corticosteroids and bronchodilators. Peak airway pressures decreased during a brief pause in inhaled epoprostenol administration and increased upon re‐initiation. Immediately after discontinuation of inhaled prostacyclin therapy, peak inspiratory pressures returned to normal and remained so throughout the remainder of the hospital stay.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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