History of the ductus arteriosus: 2. Persisting patency in the preterm infant

By 1769, it was known to Morgagni that the ductus arteriosus may persist until adulthood. In 1835, Jörg linked delayed postnatal closure with disturbed respiration, a discovery that was afterwards forgotten for a century. When blood gas analysis became available, the association between persisting patency and diminished oxygenation resurfaced. When it became known that prostaglandins played a role in maintaining ductal patency, the development of pharmacologic intervention with cyclooxygenase inhibitors immediately followed. This rapid progress was due to the interaction between basic science, pediatric cardiology, and neonatology disciplines at the Cardiovascular Research Institute in San Francisco, coordinated by Julius Comroe, as well as President Kennedy's foundation of the National Institute of Child Health and Development. This series of events exemplifies how clinical research became an integrated managed multidisciplinary endeavor in the 20th century.