Contents

Disclaimer

Oxford University Press makes no representation, express or implied, that the drug dosages in this book are correct. Readers must therefore always check the product information and clinical procedures with the most up to date published product information and data sheets provided by the manufacturers and the most recent codes of conduct and safety regulations. The authors and the publishers do not accept responsibility or legal liability for any errors in the text or for the misuse or misapplication of material in this work. Except where otherwise stated, drug dosages and recommendations are for the non-pregnant adult who is not breastfeeding.

Show Summary Details
Page of

Pulmonary vasodilators in critical illness 

Pulmonary vasodilators in critical illness
Chapter:
Pulmonary vasodilators in critical illness
Author(s):

Benjamin Chousterman

and Didier Payen

DOI:
10.1093/med/9780199600830.003.0039
Page of

PRINTED FROM OXFORD MEDICINE ONLINE (www.oxfordmedicine.com). © Oxford University Press, 2021. All Rights Reserved. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an individual user may print out a PDF of a single chapter of a title in Oxford Medicine Online for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy and Legal Notice).

date: 18 October 2021

Pulmonary vasodilators (PV) are commonly used in the intensive care unit (ICU) to treat pulmonary hypertension and/or hypoxaemia. The choice of drug is based on its pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties. The inhaled route of administration is preferred to treat hypoxaemia as it improves the ventilation/perfusion ratio. Systemic administration of PVs can lead to a decrease of mean arterial pressure and a worsening of hypoxaemia. Despite their beneficial effects, PVs have not shown improvement in mortality in acute respiratory distress syndrome patients. Rebound of hypoxaemia and/or pulmonary arterial hypertension should be prevented during PV treatment discontinuation with a slow de-escalation protocol. This chapter reviews the use of the main PV available for use in the ICU.

Access to the complete content on Oxford Medicine Online requires a subscription or purchase. Public users are able to search the site and view the abstracts for each book and chapter without a subscription.

Please subscribe or login to access full text content.

If you have purchased a print title that contains an access token, please see the token for information about how to register your code.

For questions on access or troubleshooting, please check our FAQs, and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.