Edmundo Clarindo Oliveira, Carlos Faria Santos Amaral, Marco Antonio Moura,
Frederico Thadeu Assis Figueiredo Campos, Helder Machado Pauperio
Pulmonary arterial hypertension is classified as idiopathic or secondary (associated with collagenoses, heart disease, portal hypertension,
pulmonary thromboembolism, and pulmonary vascular diseases). Pulmonary vasoreactivity should be tested in order to define the best
treatment option. Of the many drugs that have been used to test pulmonary vasoreactivity, inhaled nitric oxide is the best choice, due to
its specific pulmonary effect and very short half-life (5-10 s). The results of this test identify candidates for heart surgery among patients
with congenital heart disease and candidates for the use of calcium antagonists among patients with other forms of pulmonary arterial
hypertension. Performing and interpreting the results of such tests are a great responsibility, since mistakes can lead to incorrect treatment
decisions, resulting in the death of patients.
Keywords: Hypertension, pulmonary/diagnosis; Nitric oxide/diagnostic use; Administration, inhalation.