Neurodevelopmental Impairment at Two Years in Premature Infants with Prolonged Patency of Ductus Arteriosus after a Conservative Approach

Objective The study aims to assess the impact on neurodevelopmental outcomes of a prolonged hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) after a conservative treatment. Study Design This involves the study of two cohorts of preterm infants 23 to 29 weeks gestation, before (n = 29) and after (n = 54) a conservative approach of PDA. We compared survival, major outcomes, and neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) at 2 years and analyzed NDI in the conservative cohort according to the duration of the PDA. Results Conservative cohort received less medical (31.5%) and surgical treatment (7.4%) and had more days of PDA (59 days in 24–26 weeks and 22 days in 27–29 weeks; p < 0.001) in comparison with control cohort (19 days in 24–26 weeks and 11 days in 27–29 weeks; p = 0.688). Mortality, survival-without-morbidity at discharge, and NDI at 2 years were similar between the two groups (p = 0.732). In the multivariate analysis PDA >28 days was not related to worse outcomes at discharge (p = 0.296) or less survival-without-NDI at 2 years (p = 0.498). Conclusion Until randomized trials prove the benefit of attempting to close the PDA with ibuprofen in the first week of life, conservative management may be a reasonable option.