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Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1996; 44(1): 35-39
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-1011980
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Inhaled Nitric Oxide in Patients with Severe Heart Failure: Changes in Lung Perfusion and Ventilation Detected Using Scintigraphy

G. Speziale, L. De Biase, G. De Vincentis1 , M. Ierardi1 , G. Ruvolo, S. La Francesca, F. Scopinaro1 , B. Marino
  • Institute of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Experimental Medicine, University “La Sapienza”, Rome, Italy
  • 1Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Experimental Medicine, University “La Sapienza”, Rome, Italy
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Publication History

1995

Publication Date:
07 May 2008 (online)

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Abstract

Inhaled nitric oxide (NO) is a selective pulmonary vasodilator in patients with end-stage cardiac failure. Preoperative high pulmonary vascular resistence could modify early and late results after heart transplantation generally due to right-ventricular failure. Aim of this study was to assess pulmonary vascular resistence variability following inhalation of NO by using a scinti-graphic method. Our preliminary results suggest that inhaled NO in patients with end-stage heart failure redistributes blood away from apical regions and towards more basal and posterior segments, probably dilating blood vessels in ventilated but nonper-fused zones. NO may represent a simple and reliable method to evaluate dynamic response of pulmonary vasculature.

Key words

Nitric oxide - Pulmonary hypertension - Heart transplantation - Lung scintigraphy