Some babies develop persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn(PPHN), a condition where the pressure in the blood vessel that allows blood to flow to the lungs remains abnormally high. Persistent high pressure in these vessels leads to less blood flow to the lungs and therefore less oxygen reaching the blood and all organs of the body. Sildenafil may cause these vessels to relax and allow for improved blood flow and improved oxygen delivery to all organs. However, this therapy is not adequately studied in infants and more research is needed. Below are some articles of interest in these studies:
