PPHN is a significant breathing issue that affects babies. It most commonly affects full-term newborns or babies born at 34 weeks or more. Other forms of breathing problems are common in these babies.
Persistent hypertension of the newborn and persistent fetal circulation syndrome are other names for this illness.
The blood vessels in the lungs should open up and start circulating blood into the lungs as soon as the infant is born and takes their first breath. This allows the baby's brain and the rest of the body to receive oxygen.
At birth or within the first few hours following birth, the newborn will have breathing difficulty and display indicators of low oxygen.
Although the cause is unknown, many variables raise the incidence of PPHN neonates. These elements include:
Various imaging and laboratory tests can assess pulmonary pressure in a newborn. These may include the following:
To see if the infant has lung problems or a heart that is enlarged
An ultrasound of the heart - to see if the baby has heart or lung illness and assess blood flow in those organs.
To check for brain hemorrhage
to count how many oxygen-carrying red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets there are.
blood tests to see if the baby has an infection (also known as a spinal tap) and a spinal tap
It examines the amount of oxygen in the blood to see if the baby's tissues are getting adequate oxygen
PPHN treatment aims to raise blood oxygen levels, open pulmonary blood veins, and maintain normal blood pressure.
A nasal cannula is a medical device that allows PPHN newborns with low oxygen levels to receive supplementary oxygen therapy. Nasal cannulas are divided into two categories: low flow and high flow.
This equipment softly pushes the air or oxygen into the lungs.
This gadget will breathe for your baby until they can breathe independently. The infant's windpipe is inserted with a breathing tube. This is referred to as intubation (in too BAY shun). The ventilator is then connected to the breathing tube. The ventilator is designed to provide the newborn with consistent and even breathing.
This is a unique form of a ventilation system. Through a breathing tube, it may give quick, brief bursts of air.
A life changer for babies with PPHN. Nitiric oxide is a special gas with its delivery system, which when provided to a baby with PPHN increases oxygen levels drastically and decreases the need for ECMO. Inhaled nitric oxide has revolutionized the treatment for PPHN.
For infants with severe heart or lung failure, an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) system can be used. While the PPHN resolves, the ECMO provides temporary support by supplying oxygen to the brain and body.
An external pump and oxygenator are used to take over the heart and lungs of your baby in ECMO, which is similar to a heart-lung bypass system. Therefore, treatment for PPHN newborns in Coimbatore can provide you with complete treatment of the condition in newborns without any complications.
The goal of PPHN treatment is to
Keep systemic blood pressure stable
Reduce pulmonary vascular resistance
supply tissues with the oxygen they need
minimize lesions caused by excessive levels of inspired oxygen
Do infants get complete recovery from PPHN?
Pulmonary hypertension in premature infants is commonly outgrown as they begin to feed and develop. However, many babies do well with oxygen, medicine, and regular follow-up care after they leave the NICU.
Is PPHN common in babies?
PPHN affects about one in every 1,250 infants. It occurs most frequently in full-term infants or infants born after their due dates. In addition, it frequently happens after a difficult delivery. Your child's doctor may run tests to see if they have this condition.
How is PPHN identified?
Echocardiography is used to confirm that the person has PPHN. Among the most important findings are an abnormally large right ventricle, a leftward deviation of the interventricular septum, a tricuspid regurgitation, and right-to-left shunting at the levels of the patent foramen ovale and the patent ductus arteriosus.
What is persistent pulmonary hypertension referred to as in the newborn?
Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) is a very dangerous condition that can make a baby not get enough oxygen after it is born. It can also make the baby sick. As the baby grows inside the mother, the placenta gives them all of the oxygen they need through this tube. As a result, most of the baby's blood goes over its lungs.
How is PPHN in infants treated?
The most commonly used treatments for PPHN neonates include: when a baby is sick, they use a special ventilator that breathes for them at a very fast rate to help with blood pressure, such as giving medicine intravenously (IV or through the vein), extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is used as a last-ditch treatment. This is when the heart and lungs are temporarily bypassed.
Our happiness knew no bounds when our daughter was born; however, our happiness was short-lived; the doctor informed us that our daughter had persistent pulmonary hypertension. We could not understand what was happening. Our doctor patiently explained the condition to us, and my daughter was immediately shifted to a special care unit. The doctors continuously gave us an update on the health progress, and the staff was also supportive throughout. After a week, our daughter got discharged and is completely fine now. Thank you, Sri Ramakrishna Hospital, for your hospitality and care.
Our son was born with persistent pulmonary hypertension, and we were pretty worried as his condition was getting worse. We reached out to Sri Ramakrishna Hospital upon a friend's reference. Doctors immediately admitted him and informed us about the condition and their treatment. The staff and doctors took extreme care of our son, and he completely recovered within a week. Today our son is healthy without any health problems; thank you, Sri Ramakrishna Hospital, for your care and treatment. Highly recommend the hospital.
Our Department of Neonatology has treated over 20,000+ pulmonary pressure in newborns over the last 48 years. Our highly experienced Neonatologists will ensure your precious child receives the best PPHN treatment in Coimbatore.
Our highly experienced Neonatologists have immense experience in providing the best pulmonary hypertension treatment in Coimbatore.
Dr. Siddartha Buddhavarapu is a Consultant Neonatologist of the Department of Neonatology at Sri Ramakrishna Hospital. He has over 14 years of experience and is an expert in treating extreme preterm babies, (as small as 24 weeks) complete surgical & Cardiac conditions.
Dr. Suja Mariam is a Consultant Neonatologist of the Department of Neonatology at Sri Ramakrishna Hospital. She has over 11 years of experience and has an expertise in managing extreme preterm neonates upto 23 weeks of gestation.
