[Prostaglandin E1: effect on blood gases in infants with cyanotic congenital heart disease (author's transl)].

15 infants with cyanotic congenital heart disease (pulmonary atresia, Ebstein-Syndrom) were treated with Prostaglandin E1. During treatment there was a significant rise of PO2 and SO2 in the arterial, capillary and central venous blood. There was a minor rise of pH and HCO3; the arterial pCO2 fell slightly. We used PGE1-therapy as pretreatment before the heart operation, so that the critical babies go to the operation well oxygenated and in a better state. The side effects we observed (tachypnoe, tachycardia, hyperpyrexia, augmented urine output, erythemas, apnoic spells) seemed less important than the great advantage of a better oxygenation of these hypoxic babies.