School-age outcomes of newborns treated for persistent pulmonary hypertension.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to describe the school-age outcome of a cohort of children treated with intensive care support for persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN).

STUDY DESIGN

From 187 term newborns treated for PPHN as neonates, 109 were seen at school age (73% of 150 survivors and 58.2% of the original cohort). Of these 109 term newborns, 77 were treated with inhaled nitric oxide (iNO); of which 12 received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). The remaining 32 received conventional management with no exposure to iNO. Patients were seen at school age (mean 7.1 years). A medical history and physical exam were completed, growth was measured, and chest X-ray and echocardiogram were performed. Psychometric assessments included the Wechsler Scales (Preschool or Child), Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement, Children's Category Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist.

RESULT

Medical, neurodevelopmental and social/emotional/behavioral outcome did not differ between children treated with iNO, with or without ECMO, and those managed with no exposure to iNO. Overall, 24% had respiratory problems, 60% had abnormal chest X-rays and 6.4% had some sensorineural hearing loss. The cohort performed at the average level for full scale IQ, adaptive function, academic achievement, higher-order cognition and executive functioning, and social/behavioral/emotional functioning. Overall, 9.2% of the cohort had a full scale IQ less than 70 and 7.4% had an IQ from 70 to 84.

CONCLUSION

The outcome for this cohort of children treated as newborns for PPHN, which included a large group of infants exposed to iNO, was comparable to previous reports of children treated with ECMO or conventionally.