Surviving Pulmonary Hypertension crisis?

[parlanchina]

My baby is 53 weeks gestational age and still in the NICU. She has severe BPD and pulmonary hypertension and is on treprostinil. A month ago she was still on cpap (had been for 4 months) and then she was intubated for a heart cath to close her PDA. The intubation started a PH crisis. She is still intubated now and she goes from needing around 50% oxygen to 100%. A few days ago she was extubated but she only lasted for one day. Her oxygen need while extubated was 40%, but then she had a crying spell (maybe from withdrawal symptoms from the heavy sedatives she is on) and then she had to be intubated again because she needed 100% oxygen. How do you get out of this vicious cycle? I don't know if now she is in another PH crisis or not. Her blood gas CO2 is good, but she is poorly oxygenating (satting in the 70s-80s and barely hitting 90s once in a while).

@NICU nurses here in the forum, have you seen babies get out of this vicious cycle and survive?

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Oh gosh - I'm so very sorry for you and your precious baby. How incredibly stressful! Please talk to your baby's nursing and provider staff. Ask them these questions because they will know the intimate details of your child's case.