부산대학교 도서관

Previous experience with the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) infection suggested the potential role of inhaled nitric oxide (NO) as a supportive measure for patients with respiratory failure. Treatment with inhaled NO reversed pulmonary hypertension, improved severe hypoxemia, and shortened the length of ventilator support in severe SARS patients. Inhaled NO can reduce inflammatory cell-mediated lung injury and lower pulmonary vascular resistance. Clinical use of inhaled NO may become an alternate treatment before extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for the management of acute respiratory distress syndrome in patients with COVID-19. Two patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia-related hypoxemic respiratory failure were intubated with mechanical ventilator support and were treated with inhaled NO in our hospital. The patients showed improvement in oxygenation and were weaned successfully from the mechanical ventilator.