Selective Early Medical Treatment of the Patent Ductus Arteriosus in Extremely Low Gestational Age Infants: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Summary

Background: Among preterm infants, those born at a gestational age less than 26 weeks are considered the most vulnerable with a high risk of short- and long-term health problems that include chronic lung disease, brain bleeds, gut injury, kidney failure and death. Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is the most common heart condition with almost 70% preterm infants in this gestational age group being diagnosed with a PDA. Though many PDAs spontaneously resolve on their own, research suggests that if the PDA persists, it may contribute to a number of these short- and long-term health problems. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen are commonly used to treat a PDA. Such drugs can also have harmful effects on the gut and kidneys of extremely preterm infants. Therefore, we are unsure if early treatment of a symptomatic PDA in this age group is at all beneficial. Given the wide variation in PDA treatment approaches in this age group, a randomized trial design, where extremely preterm infants with a symptomatic PDA are randomly assigned to early treatment or no early treatment, is essential to address this question. Purpose of the study: The overall purpose of this pilot study is to assess the feasibility of conducting a large study to explore the following research question: In preterm infants born \<26 weeks' gestation, is a strategy of selective early medical treatment of a symptomatic PDA better than no treatment at all in the first week of life? The main feasibility objectives of this study are: 1. To assess how many eligible infants can be enrolled in the study 2. To assess how many enrolled infants properly complete the study protocol Importance: To our knowledge this will be the first study on PDA management in preterm infants that specifically aims to enroll preterm infants born at \<26 weeks of gestational age who are at the highest risk for PDA-related problems but have been mostly under-represented in previous PDA studies.

Eligibility

Age range

Up to 72 years

Sex

All

Healthy volunteers

No

Interventions

• Drug
  Ibuprofen

  Pharmacotherapy, when indicated (ie, for "severe PDA" on echocardiography, irrespective of clinical symptoms, or a "moderate PDA" on echocardiography with at least moderate clinical illness), will be provided in the form of ibuprofen as first line agent at a standard dosing of 10 mg/kg followed by 2 doses of 5mg/kg every 24 h. The route of administration may be intravenous or enteral, as determined by the treating team. For treated infants, follow-up echocardiography will be conducted at the end of the 3-day course and second course of treatment will be initiated if they still fulfill study treatment criteria as mentioned above. If any treatment-eligible infant has a contraindication to ibuprofen, use of acetaminophen will be permitted as an alternative agent.

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