Exhaled nitric oxide in preterm infants

Nitric oxide (NO) is detectable in the exhaled gas of adults during spontan eous respiration and, according to current knowledge, mainly originates fro m the paranasal sinuses. We studied total NO excretion rates by chemilumine scence in preterm infants whose paranasal sinuses are known to be only part ially pneumatized. NO excretion was 7.15 +/- 1.13 nl/min (mean +/- SD, rang e 6.33-9.36 nl/min) measured from spontaneously exhaled nasal gas (n = 6) a nd 0.3 +/- 0.05 nl/min (range 0.26-0.36 nl/min) measured from the lower air ways in intubated individuals (n = 3). These values are considerably lower than those reported for older children and adults. Body weight-related amou nts of NO excretion, however, seem comparable between infants and adults. ( C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.