Dual medication therapy (acetaminophen and ibuprofen) for the management of patent ductus arteriosus in preterm infants: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the efficacy of dual medication therapy (intervention) (DMT: acetaminophen and ibuprofen) vs. single medication therapy (control) (SMT: ibuprofen) for medical management of PDA (outcomes) in preterm infants (population).

STUDY

DESIGN

We systematically searched multiple sources to identify randomized controlled trials (RCT) and non-randomized studies (NRS) that compared DMT to SMT for management of hemodynamically significant PDA.

RESULTS

We identified two RCTs and four NRS. There were no differences in the rates of successful PDA closure following the first treatment course between DMT and SMT (RR = 1.23 [95% CI 0.89-1.70] for NRS and RR = 1.18 [95% CI 0.66-2.10] for RCTs), nor were there significant differences in secondary outcomes and adverse events including PDA ligation, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and necrotizing enterocolitis etc. Markers of hepatic/renal function did not change significantly during treatment.

CONCLUSION

We found no evidence for superiority of DMT over SMT in PDA management.