Editorial

Carbon Monoxide or Nitric Oxide: Which Came First?

Authors: Jana G. Spillers, BSN, RNC

Abstract

Pulmonary hypertension has a poor prognosis with mortality, ranging as high as 50%. Echocardiograms, measures of pulmonary artery pressures, and ventilation-perfusion scans (V/Q scan) offer the most definitive diagnosis and assessment of disease progression and treatment progress. This pathology is characterized by dyspnea and tachypnea, as well as symptoms of congestive heart failure such as edema, hepatomegaly, and jugular vein distention.1 Pulmonary hypertension can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This is characterized by dyspnea and hypoxemia caused by intrapulmonary shunting and V/Q mismatch. Inhaled nitric oxide (INO) is used to reduce pulmonary vascular resistance and the resulting hypoxemia.2

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