Transcatheter PDA Closure Increasingly Used for Very Low Birth-Weight Infants
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, July 15, 2024 -- For very low birth-weight (VLBW) infants, transcatheter closure of the patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is increasingly used, with selected short-term outcomes slightly more favorable, according to a study published online July 15 in Pediatrics.
Brianna F. Leahy, M.B.B.S., from the University of Vermont in Burlington, and colleagues describe survival and short-term outcomes among VLBW infants (born from 401 to 1,500 g or 22 to 29 weeks of gestational age) who underwent transcatheter or surgical PDA closure from 2018 to 2022. Data were included for 6,410 of 216,267 infants at 726 hospitals who received invasive PDA treatment.
The researchers observed an increase in the use of transcatheter closure, from 29.8 percent in 2018 to 71.7 percent in 2022. Higher survival was seen for VLBW infants undergoing transcatheter closure, and they had a similar length of stay, neonatal complications, and receipt of discharge support. Survival and discharge support were found to be similar in subgroup analyses conducted for infants with birth weight ≥700 g and born in 2020 to 2022, whereas selected neonatal complications and length of stay were reduced after transcatheter closure.
"Although selected VLBW short-term outcomes after transcatheter closure, including survival, neonatal complications, and length of stay, may be slightly more favorable compared with surgical closure, this retrospective observational study did not include many important clinical factors, and statistical observations should be interpreted cautiously and in the appropriate neonatal clinical context," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted July 2024
Read this next
Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder in Pregnancy Can Improve Outcomes
FRIDAY, May 2, 2025 -- For mothers with opioid use disorder (OUD), treatment with buprenorphine in pregnancy is associated with improved maternal and infant outcomes, according to...
Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy Adversely Affect Preemie Neurodevelopment
THURSDAY, May 1, 2025 -- Maternal hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are associated with adverse cognitive and language development in preterm infants at 2 years' corrected...
Moderately Preterm Birth Tied to Long-Term Cognitive Problems
FRIDAY, April 25, 2025 -- Moderately preterm birth is associated with cognitive problems at ages 9 to 10 years, according to a study published online April 14 in JAMA Network...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.