[Clinical guide practice. Patent ductus arteriosus]

Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is the most common congenital heart disease in Mexico. The clinical manifestations of the PCA are from asymptomatic patients to the presence of heart failure. Its management should be individualized based on clinical, hemodynamic data and presence of pulmonary hypertension. Our objective was to provide current medical recommendations based on the best, available scientific evidence for the diagnosis, study and therapeutic decisions of the PCA. Established a standardized sequence to search for Practice Guidelines, based on the clinical questions about PCA diagnosis and treatment. Most of the recommendations were taken from selected guidelines and supplemented with the remaining material. The information is expressed in levels of evidence (E) and grade of recommendation (R) according to the characteristics of the study design and type of publications. Currently produces large amounts of medical information in a relatively short period of time which is necessary to have evidence-based CPG to facilitate and standardize the diagnostic decision-treatment to provide better care for children and adults with PCA.