L/Z supplementation was ineffective in preventing ROP in preterm infants and did not affect the outcome at discharge of our patients.

Our aim was to assess the hypothesis that a high-dose regimen of ibuprofen is more effective than the standard-dose regimen in closing patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) without increasing adverse effects. Infants of gestational age <29 weeks, with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and echocardiographic evidence of significant PDA at 12-24 h of life, were randomized to receive a standard (10-5-5 mg/kg/day) or high-dose (20-10-10 mg/kg/day) course of ibuprofen. We studied 70 infants, 35 of whom received the standard dose of ibuprofen and the other 35 the high dose. Of the infants treated with the standard-dose regimen, 37% had persistent PDA as compared with 14% of those treated with the high-dose regimen (P = 0.03). No differences in the occurrence of adverse effects were observed between the two groups. The high-dose ibuprofen regimen is more effective than the standard-dose regimen in closing PDA in preterm infants <29 weeks of gestation without increasing the adverse effect rate.

Non-invasive ventilation with heliox was not effective in decreasing extubation failure in preterm infants with RDS, but did improve their respiratory function. Our findings might support the planning of large randomized controlled studies to evaluate the effectiveness of heliox non-invasive ventilation for decreasing extubation failure in premature infants.

No abstract