Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) and pulmonary morbidity: can early targeted pharmacologic PDA treatment decrease the...

A persistent left-to-right shunt through a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) increases the rate of pulmonary hydrostatic fluid filtration, impairs pulmonary mechanics, and prolongs the need for respiratory support. Infants with a moderate/large PDA shunt that persists for more than 7-14 days are at increased risk for developing bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) if they also require invasive ventilation for more than 10 days. In contrast, infants who require invasive ventilation for less than 10 days have similar rates of BPD no matter how long they are exposed to a moderate/large PDA shunt. Although pharmacologic PDA closure decreases the risk of abnormal early alveolar development in preterm baboons that are ventilated for 2 weeks, the findings from recent randomized controlled trials, as well as a quality improvement project, suggest that routine early targeted pharmacologic treatments, as currently employed, do not appear to alter the incidence of BPD in human infants.