Prevalence and safety of diazoxide in the neonatal intensive care unit.

OBJECTIVE

Diazoxide is used to treat infants with persistent hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia. While recent studies have highlighted its adverse effects and variable usage, further characterization is needed. We report the demographic and clinical characteristics of infants exposed to diazoxide across NICUs.

STUDY

DESIGN

Cohort study including infants born 24-41 weeks gestation and admitted to 345 NICUs from 2017-2022. Comparisons were made between hypoglycemic infants exposed to diazoxide and those not, collecting data on adverse events and additional therapies.

RESULTS

Among 545,065 infants, 22% were diagnosed with hypoglycemia, and 0.16% were exposed to diazoxide. Diazoxide use remained stable, with variability across NICUs (0-16%). Among infants exposed to diazoxide, 13% started new diuretic courses, 10% had new oxygen supplementation, and 3% needed ventilator support.

CONCLUSIONS

Diazoxide use in NICUs has remained stable over time. Although some infants received additional therapies, namely diuretics, most were able to discontinue diazoxide prior to discharge.