Why is this procedure done?
Nitric oxide is a chemical naturally made in your body. You may hear it called NO' or nitric. It makes your blood vessels open wider. If you have high blood pressure in your lungs, doctors may order inhaled nitric oxide therapy. This will help to lower the pressure in your lungs. Blood cannot easily flow through the lungs if the blood pressure in the lungs is too high. Nitric helps the blood vessels relax and open wider. Then, the blood pressure in the lungs is lower and more blood moves through the lungs. This means more oxygen can be picked up by the blood and carried to the rest of the body. ‚
What will the results be?
With nitric, the blood pressure in your lungs will be lower. This will make it easier for more blood to go in and out of your lungs. You may have more oxygen on hand for your other tissues and organs. ‚
What happens before the procedure?
You do not need to do anything special before getting nitric. ‚
What happens during the procedure?
- You will lie on a bed or sit on a cozy chair.
- Nitric may be given through a breathing tube, an oxygen face mask, or small prongs that go in your nose. If you have a breathing tube, the doctor will give nitric straight through the breathing tube. In other cases, you will breathe the nitric through the mask or prongs.
- Your condition may start to improve quickly once the nitric is started.
- This is a painless procedure. The length of time of the therapy will depend on your lung condition.
- Nitric must be slowly turned down over time before fully stopping it. Stopping the nitric very quickly may make your condition worse.
What happens after the procedure?
The staff will closely watch your condition and oxygen blood level. ‚
What follow-up care is needed?
- Your doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your progress. Be sure to keep these visits.
- Your doctor may send you to a lung specialist called a pulmonologist for close watching of your condition.
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
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Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚