Single-dose prophylactic ibuprofen therapy for patent ductus arteriosus in preterm infants

This study aimed to evaluate the short-term morbidities and efficacy of single-dose prophylactic intravenous ibuprofen for patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) on the first day of life in preterm infants. Data of 69 preterm infants with birth weight < 1250 g and gestational age < 30 weeks admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit were analyzed. Of these, 37 infants were assigned to the prophylactic treatment (PT) group and 32 were assigned to the nonprophylactic treatment (non-PT) group. Only the PT group administered intravenous ibuprofen (10 mg/kg) once within 6 hours after birth. Until postnatal day 7, ductal closure occurred in 11 (34.4%) infants in the non-PT group, and in 35 (94.6%) infants in the PT group, of which 30 (81.1%) infants had ductal closure on postnatal day 1. There were 2 (5.4%) infants in the PT group and 9 (28.1%) in the non-PT group who needed ibuprofen treatment due to moderate-to-large PDA after postnatal day 7. Preterm infants in the PT group were less likely to develop an intraventricular hemorrhage (≥grade 2) (adjusted odds ratio 0.007, 95% confidence interval 0.01–0.45), had a shorter duration of invasive ventilatory support and central venous catheter, and earlier postnatal age to achieve feeding of 50 and 100 mL/kg/day compared with those in the non-PT group. Single-dose prophylactic intravenous ibuprofen on the first day of life decreased the occurrence of a persistent PDA and intraventricular hemorrhage (≥grade 2), and reduced the duration of invasive ventilatory support, central venous catheter use, and hospital stay.