Ibuprofen has been proposed as a preferential alternative to indomethacin in treating patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), because it is purported to have less renal, mesenteric, and cerebral vasoconstrictive effects. However, short and long-term safety concerns regarding ibuprofen remain. Continuous slow infusion of indomethacin also eliminates peripheral vasoconstriction and may thus offer similar benefits to ibuprofen without safety concerns. In this study, our objective was to show that treating a PDA with continuous indomethacin is similar to ibuprofen in its effect on urine output, renal function, and blood flow velocities in the renal, superior mesenteric, and anterior cerebral arteries. Sixty four prematures with PDA were randomly, prospectively assigned to either treatment. PDA closure rates were similar (74 versus 59%; p ϭ 0.123). Nine indomethacin-treated babies (29%) versus twelve ibuprofen babies (38%) underwent repeated therapy (p ϭ 0.656). Two indomethacin and four ibuprofen infants required surgical ligation (p ϭ 0.672). Serum creatinine, oliguria, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and fractional excretion of sodium were similar in both groups, as were blood flow velocity parameters in the vessels studied. There were no differences in necrotizing enterocolitis, BPD, intraventricular hemorrhage, and/or retinopathy of prematurity. In conclusion, PDA treatment with either continuous indomethacin infusion or ibuprofen was equally devoid of adverse renal effects and/or peripheral vasoconstrictive effects. (Pediatr Res 64: 291-297, 2008)

A practical method for predischarge detection of neonates with plasma total bilirubin concentration > or = 75th percentile, implementing transcutaneous bilirubinometry, is described. The transcutaneous technique required fewer blood tests than visual assessment for similar yield.

This study investigated whether N-terminal-pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels could serve as prognostic indicators of the therapeutic responsiveness of the patent ductus arteriosus to pharmacologic treatment. The levels of NT-proBNP in premature neonates with hemodynamically significant patency of the ductus arteriosus (hsPDA) were assessed before and after treatment using ibuprofen, indomethacin, or both. The baseline NT-proBNP levels were similar in both the infants who responded and those who did not respond to medical treatment. The combined data for all the subjects showed that NT-ProBNP decreased after treatment, but the decrease did not correlate significantly with treatment success or failure. Of the 38 infants, 11 did not respond to treatment with ductal closure. Although the pretreatment NT-proBNP levels were similar, the posttreatment levels in the nonresponders remained significantly higher than in the responders. Moreover, in 3 (27%) of the 11 nonresponders, NT-proBNP actually increased rather than decreased with treatment. The NT-proBNP levels of seven infants increased over the course of the study. Within this group, however, the pretreatment NT-proBNP levels were significantly lower than in the overall population, with no differences in the posttreatment levels. Overall, the decrease in NT-proBNP with treatment, presented as the ratio of pretreatment-post-treatment/pretreatment was not well correlated with the ductal therapeutic outcome. In summary, in the study population, NT-proBNP was not sufficiently sensitive for accurate prediction of ductal therapeutic responsiveness.

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