SuMMARY Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) was diagnosed in 27 (21 %) of 129 infants weighing < 1500 g at birth presenting over I years. The incidence of PDA in infants with pulmonary disease, particularly hyaline membrane disease, was higher than that in infants without such disease (31% compared with 16% Results suggest that (1) extremely preterm infants are less likely to respond to indomethacin, (2) success is more likely in the first 10 days of life, (3) a total dose greater than 0.6 mg/kg will not increase the success rate, (4) selective morbidity from indomethacin is unlikely ifthe contraindications of bleeding tendency, hyperbilirubinaemia, and renal dysfunction are followed, although urinary output must be monitored carefully, (5) indomethacin is a useful alternative to surgical ligation although long-term prognosis from clinical trials has yet to be established.
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