For her PAH, the patient\u2019s doctors had treated her successfully in the past with inhaled nitric oxide (iNO). Now, her providers got emergency FDA clearance to deliver an innovative tankless iNO system to the patient\u2019s home.<\/p>\n
On iNO treatment, the patient recovered. She needed no hospital or urgent care.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, nitric oxide, the gas responsible for this patient\u2019s unexpected recovery, is the same gas that\u2019s behind the magic of Viagra<\/a>.<\/p>\n Without the medication, she would very likely have needed to be hospitalized.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Nitric oxide is a gas that the body produces within the walls (endothelium) of the blood vessels (not to be confused with nitrous oxide<\/em>, also known as laughing gas). Viagra works by enhancing nitric oxide production, which relaxes muscles and dilates blood vessels. This allows more blood to flow to the genital area, enabling a strong erection.<\/p>\n What Viagra does for the penis, inhaled nitric oxide does for the lungs. It dilates blood vessels and increases blood flow and oxygenation to the lungs, making breathing easier.<\/p>\n Researchers have learned<\/a> that COVID-19 causes dysfunction of the endothelium, leading to nitric oxide deficiency. This deficiency can cause adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS<\/a>) and blood clotting. Both can be fatal.<\/p>\n Restoring nitric oxide may reverse the damage to the endothelium and protect against ARDS and clots, thereby saving lives.<\/p>\n Using nitric oxide to fight respiratory illness is not a new idea. Doctors have used it<\/a> for many years to treat newborns and others with respiratory failure. INO also played a role in the SARS<\/a> outbreak in 2003 by shortening the time a patient needed to be on a ventilator.<\/p>\n What makes this case unique is that it\u2019s the first time iNO was approved for outpatient use. Until now, iNO could only be given in a hospital setting because the gas was only available in large tanks.<\/p>\n Recently, several medical device manufacturers have developed portable iNO units. The FDA has granted emergency approval to use them to treat COVID patients. These devices are making home treatment possible for the first time.<\/p>\n This case also marks the first time that providers have used iNO to treat a COVID-19 patient.<\/p>\n In this patient’s case, her providers knew that her PAH had responded well to iNO before. But could it be effective in COVID-19 patients without pulmonary hypertension? Clinical trials are now underway to find out.<\/p>\n In addition to saving lives, the ability to treat COVID-19 patients at home with iNO could ease the strain on hospital resources and ICU beds, decrease the need for ventilators, and reduce the risk of infection among health care providers.<\/p>\n If you would like to learn more about how Viagra can improve your sexual function, please visit eDrugstore.com.<\/a><\/p>\n The case described above was the first at-home use of iNO, but providers have had success using it in hospital settings as well.<\/p>\n Shilpa Johri, M.D., is one of those providers. She is a pulmonologist with Pulmonary Associates of Richmond, Virginia. In an April 22 interview<\/a> with WTVR News in Richmond, she said that she had used iNO with nine COVID-19 patients at that time.<\/p>\n All nine have recovered and been discharged. None of them needed intubation or ventilation.<\/p>\n Johri acknowledged that iNO is still an investigational therapy. Though it looks encouraging, she said, more studies need to be done with larger samples of patients.<\/p>\n INO sounds promising for treating respiratory problems associated with the virus, but the news gets better still. Nitric oxide also has antiviral<\/a> properties that could give it a \u201cdouble whammy\u201d effect against SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19).<\/p>\n While iNO was used during the SARS epidemic in 2003, at that time, scientists didn\u2019t know much about nitric oxide\u2019s antiviral capabilities.<\/p>\n \u201cBut since then,\u201d writes Robert Kacmarek, director of respiratory care at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), in an interview<\/a> with Boston\u2019s WBUR radio, \u201cthere\u2019s been a lot of bench laboratory studies looking at its effect on virus, bacteria, etc.\u201d<\/p>\n Scientists are beginning to understand how nitric oxide works as an antiviral. At the time of this writing, it hasn’t been tested on humans, but the research continues to be promising.<\/p>\n The combined effect of improved oxygenation and potential antiviral effect of iNO \u201cmay change the course of the disease in an individual,\u201d according to Kacmarek.<\/p>\n\n
Nitric Oxide: How Does It Work?<\/h3>\n
![\"Nitric](\"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/img\/5EA4B1D4-B197-11EA-8961-70EF3EA4259B\/Nitric%20Oxide%202008%20-%20Sarah%20Laval%20Flicker_900x.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAbout Inhaled Nitric Oxide<\/h3>\n
Early Success with Nitric Oxide<\/h3>\n
![\"Scientist](\"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/img\/5EA4B1D4-B197-11EA-8961-70EF3EA4259B\/bigstock-Doctor-With-Medical-Healthcare-304671892_900x.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAntiviral Properties<\/h3>\n