There has been recent interest in the use of the phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor sildenafil for treating pulmonary hypertension. We examined the interaction between inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) and i.v. sildenafil in 12 piglets with acute pulmonary hypertension and lung injury secondary to meconium aspiration. Six animals (controls) received no intervention after meconium instillation, and six received iNO (20 ppm) from 120 min, with the addition at 240 min of an i.v. sildenafil infusion (2 mg/kg over 2 h). Meconium instillation increased mean pulmonary artery (PA) pressure from 16.0 +/- 3.1 to 24.8 +/- 4.6 mm Hg (p < 0.01) and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) from 0.047 +/- 0.008 to 0.089 +/- 0.027 mm Hg. ml(-1). min(-1). kg(-1) (p < 0.01). Oxygenation index increased from 3 +/- 0.8 to 8.3 +/- 3.0 (p < 0.01). There were no further changes beyond 120 min in controls. iNO reduced PA pressure and PVR to baseline values, without influencing oxygenation. The addition of sildenafil further reduced PA pressure, tended to increase the cardiac output, and reduced PVR from 0.049 +/- 0.02 to 0.028 +/- 0.01 mm Hg. ml(-1). min(-1). kg(-1) (p < 0.05). Sildenafil lowered the systemic blood pressure and systemic vascular resistance and produced profound arterial hypoxemia, reducing arterial Po(2) from 69 +/- 23 mm Hg to 49 +/- 15 mm Hg, despite substantial increases first in inspired oxygen fraction and subsequently in mean airway pressures. Consequently, the oxygenation index increased by 13.9 +/- 4.8 (p = 0.01). When given in addition to iNO, sildenafil at a dose of >0.5 mg/kg produced profound pulmonary vasodilation, but this was coupled with an unacceptable deterioration in oxygenation and systemic vasodilation in this model of pulmonary hypertension with acute parenchymal lung disease.