SUCCESFUL TREATMENT OF POSTOPERATİVE ATELECTASİS WİTH DORNASE ALPHA (PULMOZYME) AFTER CONGENİTAL HEART SURGERY İN A NEWBORN

TYPE: Abstract Publication TOPIC: Cardiovascular Disease PURPOSE: As conventional therapy failed to improve atelectasis, dornase alpha (pulmozyme) was tested via intubation cannula . In infections complicated by atelectasis, bronchial secretions and mucus plugs also have a high concentration of DNA such that DNase could also be an effective treatment in this situations. METHODS: 12 day male patient followed with supracardiac TAPVC was admitted to our service after one day of surgical repair. After 2 hours of extubation he was re-entubated due to respiratory acidosis . The chest x ray showed partiel atelectasis of the right lung (fig 1). rhDNase was administered either as a 2.5 mg dose nebulised twice daily. After 3 days of treatment, his chest x ray remains still the same . We started 10% of this dose (approximately 0,1 mg/kg ) was diluted to 5 ml with NaCl 0.9% and given slowly as droplets into the endotracheal tube like twice a day. After administration of 2.5 mg of Dornase alpha twice a day for three days, the atelectasis of the right lung started to recover (fig 2). RESULTS: The recombinant human DNase or dornase alpha, transforms mucus from a viscous gel to liquid by hydrolysing the extracellular deoxyribonucleic acidin the mucus CONCLUSIONS: İnstilled dornase alpha has a dramatic effect in resolving atelectasis and should be considered in cases of persistent atelectasis due to pulmonary medication and rehabilitation program after congenital heart surgery CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Recent studies in the literature showed that dornase alpha can be used for the treatment of mucus plugs in cases other than cystic fibrosis DISCLOSURE: No significant relationships. KEYWORD: atelectasis, dornase alpha (pulmozyme), congenital heart surgery