Skip to Main Content
Hospital Visitor Guidelines

Riley Children's Health has implemented hospital inpatient visitor restrictions to protect patients and help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses. View full details for Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health and Riley Children's Health at IU Health North.

Mobile sized logo
  • 317.944.5000
    • Schedule an Appointment
    • Refer a Patient
    • Plan My Visit
    • Pay a Bill
    • Make a Donation
    • Volunteer
    • Find a Career
    • Health Information
    • Find a Doctor
    • Departments & Programs
    • Support Services
    • Contact & Locations
    • Refer a Patient
    • My IU Health Patient Portal
  • Search
Riley Children's Health
  • 317.944.5000
  • My IU Health Patient Portal
    • Schedule an Appointment
    • Refer a Patient
    • Plan My Visit
    • Pay a Bill
    • Make a Donation
    • Volunteer
    • Find a Career
  • Search
Search
    • Schedule an Appointment
    • Refer a Patient
    • Plan My Visit
    • Pay a Bill
    • Make a Donation
    • Volunteer
    • Find a Career
  • Health Information
  • Find a Doctor
  • Departments & Programs
  • Support Services
  • Contact & Locations
  • My IU Health Patient Portal
  • General Information
    317.944.5000
  • Health Information
  • Find a Doctor
  • Departments & Programs
  • Support Services
  • Contact & Locations
Riley Children's Health

Inhaled Nitric Oxide

Inhaled Nitric Oxide
  • Find a Doctor
  • On This Page:
  • What to Expect
  • Key Points to Remember
  • Related Conditions & Departments
Go back to the top of the page

Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) is a special breathing treatment that your baby may receive in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) if he or she is in respiratory distress due to a condition like pulmonary hypertension or a congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

When your baby receives the treatment, he or she will inhale nitric oxide, a type of gas that can relax and expand the blood vessels in the lungs. When the blood vessels are better able to expand, it can improve your baby’s ability to get oxygen to the brain and other important tissues.

As a breathing treatment, iNO may be used with other therapies such as traditional intubation and mechanical ventilation which do not use nitric oxide gas. If a baby does not show improvement after starting iNO treatment, the next level of treatment may include extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

What to Expect

What to Expect

You can expect the following during an inhaled nitric oxide treatment at Riley at IU Health:

  • Prior to starting any treatments, your baby will receive medicines to reduce any discomfort.
  • Your baby will be connected to a ventilator—a special machine that moves air into and out of the lungs.
  • Using a process called intubation, the doctor will gently insert a small tube through your baby’s mouth and into the windpipe so that air from the ventilator can reach the lungs.
  • The ventilator is connected to a tank of nitric oxide gas. The gas will flow into the lungs and relax the blood vessels.

Treatment with inhaled nitric oxide usually lasts up to two weeks. Specialized technicians and physicians will monitor your baby’s condition and vital signs around the clock throughout treatment to make sure that the iNO is working and that there are no complications.

All babies who receive iNO treatment will have full follow-up care once it is safe for them to leave the NICU. Since low oxygen at birth can be a risk factor for neurodevelopmental delays, you and your baby will follow up with a multidisciplinary care team that includes a neurodevelopmental specialist.

Key Points to Remember

Key Points to Remember

  • iNO is a treatment for respiratory distress in newborns that is offered in the NICU.
  • Nitric oxide is a gas that, when inhaled, can relax the blood vessels in the lungs and help your baby breathe.
  • Your baby will be closely monitored throughout iNO treatment.
  • If iNO does not work, more treatments are available.
  • You and your baby will follow up with a multidisciplinary care team after treatment.

Related Conditions & Departments

Related Conditions & Departments

Conditions

  • Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH)
  • Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension

Departments

  • Neonatology
Riley Children's Health Indiana University School of Medicine
Designated as Best Children's Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report, Ranked in 10 Specialties in 2023-24

©2025 Riley Hospital for Children at
Indiana University Health
Find adult services at iuhealth.org

Get Informed

  • About Riley Children's Health
  • Research & Innovation
  • Health Professionals
  • Medical Education
  • Newsroom
  • Riley Connections Blog
  • Legal Notices

I Want To…

  • Schedule an Appointment
  • Refer a Patient
  • Plan My Visit
  • Pay a Bill
  • Make a Donation
  • Volunteer
  • Find a Career

General Information

317.944.5000

Connect with Riley Children's Health

  • Facebook
  • Youtube
  • Linkedin
  • Instagram
  • Rss
Designated as Best Children's Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report, Ranked in 10 Specialties in 2023-24

©2025 Riley Hospital for Children at
Indiana University Health
Find adult services at iuhealth.org


Non-discrimination Notice

  • English
  • Español
  • Français
  • Burmese
  • Pennsilfaanisch Deitsch
  • 中文
  • Nederlands
  • Deutsch
  • Hakha
  • 日本語
  • Karen
  • 한국어
  • Русский
  • Tagalog
  • Tiếng Việt
  • العربية
  • हिंदी
  • ਪੰਜਾਬੀ
Back to top of the page