Combined (dual) drug therapy for the treatment of patent ductus arteriosus: last approach prior to ligation

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of combined (ibuprofen+paracetamol) medical therapy in cases of persistent haemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus that are resistant to standard medical monotherapy (ibuprofen and/or paracetamol) in this retrospective multi-centre study. METHODS: The combined therapy included the administration of 15mg/kg/dose of paracetamol every 6 h for 3 days and ibuprofen at an initial dose of 10mg/kg/dose followed by 5 mg/kg/dose every 24 h. After 2 days following the administration of the last dose, the researchers evaluated the efficacy of combined treatment by conducting an echocardiographic examination. RESULTS: Of all 42 patients who received combined therapy, 37 (88.1%) patients exhibited closure of the haemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus without requiring surgical ligation. Patients who did not respond to combined therapy had a higher mean birth weight and gestational age compared to those who responded (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The researchers believe the success of ibuprofen and paracetamol in haemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus treatment may be due to their synergistic efficacy and inhibition of the prostaglandin synthesis pathway through different enzymes. The results of our retrospective trial suggest that combination therapy with paracetamol and ibuprofen can be attempted when monotherapy is unsuccessful in treating haemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus, especially in centres without a surgical department.