Closure of Patent Ductus Arteriosus With Indomethacin or Ibuprofen in Extreme Low Birth Weight Infants

Pharmacological closure of ductus arteriosus with prostaglandin (PG) inhibitors has been used for years. Previous studies indicated that ibuprofen has similar effect on ductal closure as indomethacin but has less adverse effects on renal function, cerebral blood flow and mesenteric blood flow.1-7 There are, however, very few studies being done specifically on extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infant \< 1000 g. This group of infants has immature kidney and often has poor response to PG inhibitors and has high mortality and morbidity. We hypothesized that, in ELBW infants, the ductal and renal response to PG inhibitors may be different between indomethacin and ibuprofen.