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Abstract Background Transcatheter closure of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in small, premature infants is increasingly performed in the contemporary practice. Data regarding optimal timing of PDA closure are scarce. We therefore decided to compare morbidity and mortality of early and late device closure in preterm infants. Methods Hospitalizations of 166,583 newborn infants diagnosed with PDA were identified from the Kids’ Inpatient Database (KID) in 2009, 2012, 2016, and 2019. Of these, 299 preterm infants (gestational age (GA) ≤32 weeks, birth weight 30 days) (n=179). Results Mean age (±standard deviation) for early PDA closure was 18.6 days ± 7 and 67.3 days ± 36.5 in late PDA closure. Co-morbidities including respiratory distress syndrome/bronchopulmonary dysplasia, heart failure and pulmonary hypertension were comparable between the two groups. There was no difference in mortality or referral for surgical ligation between early and late closure. Post-procedural vascular complications were low, but higher in patients with early PDA closure (3.3% vs 0%; p=0.025). Length of hospital stay was longer in late PDA closure group (121.1 days ± 51.7 vs 81.5 days ± 48.8; p=Conclusion Preterm or very low birth weight infants may benefit from early percutaneous PDA closure as it is associated with a shorter hospital LOS. There was no difference in in-hospital mortality or major periprocedural complications between early and late PDA closure, except vascular complications that were higher with early PDA closure.
Elsisy et al. (Mon,) studied this question.