Abstract 1317
Poster Session IV, Tuesday, 5/4 (poster 216)
HC has been reported to increase blood pressure (BP) in critically ill patients with intractable hypotension. To study the CV effects of HC in preterm neonates we reviewed the CV and renal response to HC during the first 24 hours of the drug administration in 19 preterm neonates with intractable hypotension. Critically ill preterm neonates were defined as having intractable hypotension if dopamine (DA) alone [22 ± 11µg/kg/min (range: 8-60), n=13] or in combination with dobutamine (DOB) [7.7 ±4.3 µg/kg/min (range:5-20), n=6] and/or with epinephrine (EPI) [0.38 ±0.56 µg/kg/min (range: 0.01-1.2), n=4] failed to increase BP above the 10th percentile of the standard BP range for gestational and postnatal age. According to these criteria, HC (1-2 mg/kg/day) was started in 14 ELBW neonates [GA = 25 ±1.7 weeks (range: 23-28); BW = 661 ±99 grams (range: 478-855); postnatal age (PA) = 15 ±14 days (range: 0-44)] and 5 more mature preterm neonates [GA = 32 ±2.8 weeks (range: 31-36); BW = 1801 ±747 grams (range: 665-2450); PA = 1.2 ±1.1 days (range: 0-3)] when mean BP on the above CV support was 28.5 ±3.5 mm Hg and 32 ±7 mm Hg, respectively. Two patients received HC on 2 occasions.
