Prevalence of patent ductus arteriosus in premature infants at the Neonatal Ward, Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta

Background Patent ductus arterious (PDA) is one of the most common congenital heart diseases encountered in preterm infants. The lower the birth weight and gestational age are, the higher the incidence of PDA is. Objectives To investigate the incidence of PDA in premature infants hospitalized in the neonatal wards of Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital using echocardiography. Methods Preterm infants born between August and October 2003 were included in this study. Clinical features were retrieved from medical charts. The first echocardiography was conducted on all of the preterm infants at the chronological age of 3 days. If PDA was detected, echocardiography was repeated at the chronological age of 6 days. Results During the 3-month period, sixty-five preterm infants participated in this study and underwent echocardiography. In the first echocardiogram, the incidence rate of PDA was 32%. At gestational age of less than 28 weeks, 1 of 2 infants had PDA. Of 3 infants with birth weight of more than 1000 grams, 2 had PDA. On the second echocardiography, the incidence rate of PDA was 14% and mostly found in infants at gestational age of less than 28 weeks (8/9) and in those with birth weight of less than 1000 grams (7/9). All infants with RDS whose PDA was identified in the first echocardiography proved to maintain their PDA in the second echocardiography. Conclusion The incidence rate of PDA in preterm infants was 14%. The lower the birth weight, the higher the incidence rate of PDA. The presence of RDS is related to the delay in the closing of
the arterial duct.