Letter to the editor: heterogeneity in effects of PDA treatment.

The recent meta-analysis by Matsushita et al on "Heterogeneity in treatment response for patent ductus arteriosus" confirms prior results showing that medical treatment of PDA does not reduce but increases mortality. The discussion implies that there is heterogeneity in effects of treatment on mortality, but this is not consistent with the data. The implication of their analysis is that early medical treatment of PDA in preterm infants should be abandoned, as recommended in the recent Clinical Report from the American Academy of Pediatrics.