This article is part of Pulmonology Advisor‘s coverage of the American Thoracic Society International Conference, taking place in Dallas, Texas. Our staff will report on medical research related to asthma and other respiratory conditions, conducted by experts in the field. Check back regularly for more news from ATS 2019. |
DALLAS — Pulmonary vasodilators were well tolerated and significantly reduced rates of mortality and adverse events (AEs) in pediatric patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH). This research was presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference, held May 17-22, in Dallas, Texas.
Investigators sought to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pulmonary vasodilators in a pediatric population with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). They searched relevant databases, including PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library for randomized controlled trials that compared pulmonary vasodilators with placebo to treat persistent PH of newborns and pediatric postoperative PH.
A total of 254 pediatric patients enrolled in 8 randomized controlled trials were included in the meta-analysis. Compared with placebo, pulmonary vasodilators significantly reduced mortality (risk ratio, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.07-0.65; P =.006) as well as the rate of AEs (risk ratio, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.40-0.90; P =.01). Adverse events included anemia, generalized edema, emesis, and red blood cell transfusion. Pulmonary vasodilators also decreased the duration of mechanical ventilation (mean difference, -4.03 days; 95% CI, -7.72 to -0.34; P =.03) and oxygenation index (mean difference, -11.69; 95% CI, -21.65 to -1.73; P =.02) compared with placebo. No drug-related AEs were reported in patients who used pulmonary vasodilators.
The investigators demonstrated the efficacy and safety of pulmonary vasodilators compared with placebo to treat a pediatric population with PAH.
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Reference
Huang W, Tingting S, Huaqiao C. The efficacy and safety of pulmonary vasodilators in pediatric pulmonary arterial hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Poster presented at: the American Thoracic Society’s International Conference; May 19, 2019; Dallas, TX. Abstract 1878/P577.
This article originally appeared on Pulmonology Advisor