Treating premature babies with nitric oxide doesn’t seem to help stave off major problems or death, a new Johns Hopkins Children’s Center research finds.

The practice is widespread, but the babies who got nitric oxide were no less likely to die, develop chronic lung disease, suffer cerebral palsy or have neurological or cognitive impairments, according to the review of 22 major studies.

The finding will appear in the February issue of the journal Pediatrics. The researchers said there was a small difference in some babies, but not enough to warrant across-the-board use. They, instead, conclude that for babies born at less than 34 weeks, the decision to use nitric oxide should be done on a case-by-case basis.

“What we call for is careful evaluation by a team of clinicians of each patient’s risk-benefit profile, factoring in birth weight, degree of prematurity and degree of lung and brain maturation,” said lead investigator Pamela Donohue, in a statement.

The researcher note that there is evidence that nitric oxide is effective treatment in babies born near-term, or after 34 weeks.

Baltimore Sun file photo/Kim Hairston