Outcomes of early inhaled nitric oxide use in premature African American neonates

Objective Meta-analysis of individual-patient clinical trial data suggests that inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) improves respiratory outcomes in premature African American neonates. We hypothesized that early iNO therapy would be associated with lower mortality and less chronic lung disease (CLD) in extremely premature African American neonates. Study design We conducted a retrospective cohort study of propensity score- and race-matched neonates 22-29 weeks gestation who were mechanically ventilated for treatment of respiratory distress and associated pulmonary hypertension (RDS + PPHN). We evaluated the association of iNO within 7 days of life with in-hospital mortality and CLD, using Cox proportional hazards regression and logistic regression, respectively. Result Among 178 matched pairs of African American patients, iNO was not associated with lower mortality (HR = 0.94, 95% CI 0.69-1.30) or less CLD (OR = 0.94, 95% CI 0.47-1.87). Conclusions Early, off-label iNO use is not associated with improved outcomes in premature African American neonates with RDS + PPHN.