PPHN
Medical abbreviation · Pediatric & Neonatal
| Stands for | Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn |
|---|---|
| Categories | Medical |
PPHN stands for Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn, a pediatric & neonatal abbreviation.
Failure of the lung blood vessels to relax normally after birth, so blood continues to bypass the lungs and the baby remains severely low on oxygen. It is associated with meconium aspiration, sepsis, pneumonia and congenital diaphragmatic hernia.
Example: Pre-ductal sat 96, post-ductal 82: PPHN; start inhaled nitric oxide 20 ppm.
Usage notes
A gap between pre-ductal (right hand) and post-ductal (foot) oxygen saturations suggests right-to-left shunting. Inhaled nitric oxide, approved for this use in 1999, dilates lung blood vessels. ECMO is used when other treatments fail. Late-pregnancy SSRI exposure is associated with a small increase in risk.
Related abbreviations
More pediatric & neonatal abbreviations
- NBS – Newborn screening
- NEC – Necrotizing enterocolitis
- NOWS – Neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome
- OFC – Occipitofrontal circumference
- PCV – Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine
- PKU – Phenylketonuria
- PVL – Periventricular leukomalacia
- ROP – Retinopathy of prematurity
- RV – Rotavirus vaccine
- SBS – Shaken baby syndrome
- SIDS – Sudden infant death syndrome
- SUID – Sudden unexpected infant death
See all 51 pediatric & neonatal abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.