[Influences of indomethacin on the cardiovascular and metabolic systems of fetuses]

The influences of indomethacin--a drug with prostaglandins inhibiting effect--on the cardiovascular and metabolic systems of fetuses were studied. 1) 1mg/day of indomethacin was administered subcutaneously to pregnant Wister rats for 5-6 days. The rats were administered laparotomyon on the 21st day of conception, and the histopathological changes of the lungs of the fetuses were studied. The findings demonstrated no histopathological changes due to indomethacin nor any hypertrophy of the smooth muscles in the small arteries of the lungs. 2) 10-35mg of indomethacin was administered intravenously to rabbits in the final stages of pregnancy, thus, indomethacin was absorbed into the maternal livers, placentas, fetal livers, maternal plasmas, and amniotic fluids as the serum concentrations of indomethacin increased with each added dosage. The percentile changes in relation to the maternal plasma concentration values revealed high percentages in fetal livers, followed by placentas, maternal livers, and fetal plasmas. Amniotic fluid concentrations were as low as 20 percent. 3) As for the clinical results of the use of indomethacin (N = 302), tocolysis showed that abortions numbered 7 out of 101 (5.3%), premature births 63 out of 155 (40.6%), SFD 14 out of 302 (4.6%), perinatal deaths 8 out of 302 (2.6%), and deaths due to distress 3 out of 302 (1%). No neonatal pulmonary hypertension was observed in the 8 premature infants that were delivered dead.