Efficacy of phentolamine combined with milrinone on severe pneumonia in children, and its effect on serum levels of MMP-9, TIMP-1 and sICAM-1

Purpose: To investigate the effect of the co-administration of phentolamine and milrinone on severe pneumonia in children, as well as on serum MMP-9, TIMP-1 and sICAM-1 levels.Methods: From January 2021 to January 2022, 100 patients diagnosed with severe pneumonia were randomly divided into 2 groups; the control group received oxygen inhalation and other symptomatic treatment, while the study group received phentolamine concurrently with milrinone, Serum MMP-9, TIMP-1, sICAM-1 levels and clinical efficacy were determined in the two groups before and after treatment.Results: After treatment, there were significant differences in IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-alpha levels between the study group and the control group. Furthermore, IgA, IgG, and IgM levels in both groups were significantly higher after treatment than before treatment (p < 0.05). The study group exhibited significant differences in MMP-9, TIMP-1, and sICAM-1 levels after treatment compared to control group (p < 0.05). Healing and therapeutic effectiveness in the study group was 76 %, which was significantly greater than in the control group (48 %; p = 0.000). Additionally, total treatment effectiveness in the study group was 92 %, which was significantly higher than in the control group (80 %; p = 0.015). After treatment, the PEF, FRC, and TEF25 % in the study group were significantly higher than in the control group (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Co-administration of phentolamine and milrinone is highly effective for the treatment of severe pneumonia in children, and significantly reduces the levels of serum MMP-9, TIMP-1 and sICAM-1. However, multi-center clinical trials should be carried out prior to the adoption of this treatment mode in clinical practice.