[Iloprost. Pharmacology and clinical application during surgery].

Iloprost is a long-acting prostacyclin analogue with potent vasodilating properties. When applied per inhalation, iloprost rapidly and remarkably reduces pulmonary vascular resistance and thereby pulmonary artery pressure for approximately 60-120 min. In addition, if iloprost is inhaled and not infused, major systemic side-effects such as a significant reduction of the systemic arterial pressure can mostly be circumvented. Inhaled iloprost can be applied by means of ultrasound or by oxygen flow with both techniques being available for intensive care ventilators. For use in the anaesthesia circuit a special construction was built.