Ibuprofen and Patent Ductus Arteriosus

The ductus arteriosus connects the pulmonary artery to the descending aorta. During fetal life it diverts most of the combined ventricular output away from the lungs toward the placenta. In full-term newborns, the ductus closes within 24 to 48 hours after delivery. However, in preterm newborns, the ductus frequently fails to close. As a result, 70 percent of preterm infants delivered before 28 weeks of gestation require either medical or surgical closure of a patent ductus arteriosus.The clinical consequences of a patent ductus arteriosus are related to the degree of left-to-right shunting through the ductus. Despite the ability of . . .