Treating very preterm European infants with inhaled nitric oxide increased in-hospital mortality but did not affect neurodevelopment at 5 years of age

Veronica Siljehav*, Anna Gudmundsdottir, Jonathan Tjerkaski, Adrien M. Aubert, Marina Cuttini, Corine Koopman, Rolf F. Maier, Jennifer Zeitlin, Ulrika Åden

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Aim: We examined the outcomes of using inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) to treat very preterm born (VPT) infants across Europe. Methods: This was a sub-study of the Screening to Improve Health in Very Preterm Infants in Europe research. It focused on all infants born between 22 + 0 and 31 + 6 weeks/days of gestation from 2011 to 2012, in 19 regions in 11 European countries. We studied 7268 infants admitted to neonatal care and 5 years later, we followed up the outcomes of 103 who had received iNO treatment. They were compared with 3502 propensity score-matched controls of the same age who did not receive treatment. Results: All countries used iNO and 292/7268 (4.0%) infants received this treatment, ranging from 1.2% in the UK to 10.5% in France. There were also large regional variations within some countries. Infants treated with iNO faced higher in-hospital mortality than matched controls (odds ratio 2.03, 95% confidence interval 1.33–3.09). The 5-year follow-up analysis of 103 survivors showed no increased risk of neurodevelopmental impairment after iNO treatment. Conclusion: iNO was used for VPT patients in all 11 countries. In-hospital mortality was increased in infants treated with iNO, but long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes were not affected in 103 5-year-old survivors.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)461-470
Number of pages10
JournalActa Paediatrica, International Journal of Paediatrics
Volume113
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2024

Keywords

  • European study
  • inhaled nitric oxide
  • mortality
  • neurodevelopment
  • very preterm infants

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