A possible way to assess tidal exhaled nitric oxide in neonates and infants treated with nasal continuous positive airway pressure

The endogenous compound nitric oxide (NO) is released into the airways via inducible NO synthase (1),which has the capacity to produce NO when up-regulated by pro-inflammatory cytokines or exogenous factors, like hypoxia, bacterial toxins and viruses (2). Prematurely born infants are susceptible to various acute and chronic respiratory diseases, such as respiratory distress syndrome and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). BPD involves a range of lung function abnormalities and increases the risk of re-hospitalisation (3). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.