Selective Early Medical Treatment of Patent Ductus Arteriosus in Extremely Low Gestational Age Infants: A Pilot RCT

"Pharmacotherapy, when indicated (ie, for severe PDA on echocardiography, irrespective of clinical symptoms, or a moderate PDA on echocardiography with at least moderate clinical illness), will be provided in the form of ibuprofen as first line agent at a standard dosing of 10 mg/kg followed by 2 doses of 5mg/kg every 24 h. The route of administration may be intravenous or enteral, as determined by the treating team.~For treated infants, follow-up echocardiography will be conducted at the end of the 3-day course and second course of treatment will be initiated if they still fulfill study treatment criteria as mentioned above. If any treatment-eligible infant has a contraindication to ibuprofen, use of acetaminophen will be permitted as an alternative agent."