Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of inhaled nitric oxide in the prevention and reversal of pulmonary hypertension during and after left ventricular assist device implantation.
Methods: Inhaled nitric oxide (20 ppm) was administered to seven consecutive patients undergoing implantation of a left ventricular assist device at the time of implantation and for the first 24 hours after operation.
Results: Withdrawal of inhaled nitric oxide at 24 hours after operation was associated with a significant rise in both the transpulmonary gradient (from 8+/-1 to 14+/-2 mm Hg, p < 0.01) and in pulmonary vascular resistance (from 110+/-19 to 196+/-32 dynes x sec x cm[-5], p < 0.01). In two patients, the rise in pulmonary vascular resistance resulted in a critical fall in left ventricular assist device flow and hemodynamic deterioration, necessitating urgent reinstitution of inhaled nitric oxide.
Conclusion: The administration of inhaled nitric oxide at the time of left ventricular assist device implantation prevents rises in pulmonary vascular resistance that in some patients result in critical reductions in left ventricular assist device flow. We suggest that inhaled nitric oxide is a useful adjunctive treatment that should be routinely available at the time of left ventricular assist device implantation.