Objective: To assess whether either duration and magnitude of ductal shunt or medical treatment for patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) are related to spontaneous intestinal perforation (SIP).
Study design: Clinical charts of infants <29 weeks' gestation born from 2006 to 2018 were reviewed. Echocardiographic examinations were evaluated according to McNamara and Sehgal's staging system.
Results: A higher percentage of patients with SIP had a hemodynamically significant PDA (HSPDA) and was treated with either NSAIDs or paracetamol (79% vs 53% and 81% vs 54%, respectively). Among non-treated patients, we found a 1.32 increase in the odds of SIP per day of persistence of HSPDA. In the cohort of patients treated despite the absence of HSPDA, we found a 2.35 increase in the odds of SIP per dose of drug administered.
Conclusion: Both treating a non-HSPDA and leaving a HSPDA to its natural history seem to be associated with SIP.
© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc.