Abstract

In this prospective study 16 newborn (ranging 1 day - 28 day) with severe compartment abdominal syndrome were evaluated by Doppler echocardiography for the presence of pulmonary hypertension (PH). The goal of this study was to determine the frequency of PH in newborn with severe compartment abdominal syndrome because the diagnosis of PH influenced the treatment of pneumonia in these newborns.

The patients who had more than 25.4±1.2 mmHg (mean ± SD) of systolic pulmonary arterial pressure were considered to have PH. In our study PH was found in 13 (81.25 %) of 16 newborn. We did not find any significant difference for the parameters including the age, weight, height, clinical symptoms, signs (tachycardia and tachypnea), and laboratory findings such as hemoglobin, PCO₂, HCO₃ and PO₂ between the patients with and without PH (p>0.01). However, there was a significant difference in cyanosis, cardiac failure, blood pH level, intra-abdominal pressure and O₂ saturation measured by pulse oximetry between the patients with and without PH (p<0.01).