Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39815089›Full record

SynthesisPediatric research2025

Beneficial vs harmful effects of pharmacological treatment of patent ductus arteriosus: A Bayesian meta-analysis.

Eduardo Villamor, Gloria Galán-Henríquez, František Bartoš, Gema E Gonzalez-Luis

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Pediatric research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Article
  8. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Eduardo VillamorDivision of Neonatology, MosaKids Children's Hospital, Maastricht University Medical Center (MUMC+), Research Institute for Oncology and Reproduction (GROW), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. e.villamor@mumc.nl.
Gloria Galán-HenríquezDepartment of Pediatrics, Hospital Universitario Materno-Infantil de Canarias, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.
František BartošDepartment of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Gema E Gonzalez-LuisDepartment of Pediatrics, Hospital Universitario Materno-Infantil de Canarias, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRandomized controlled trials (RCTs) have failed to demonstrate the beneficial effects of the pharmacological treatment of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in preterm infants. We conducted a Bayesian model averaged (BMA) meta-analysis of RCTs comparing the pharmacological treatment of PDA with placebo or expectant treatment.

methodsWe searched for RCTs including infants with gestational age (GA) ≤ 32 weeks and with a rate of open-label treatment of less than 25% in the control arm. The primary outcome was mortality and secondary outcomes included bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). We calculated Bayes factors (BFs). The BF

resultsFive RCTs were included (1341 infants). BMA showed strong evidence in favor of the harmful effect of medication for BPD (BF

conclusionPharmacological treatment of PDA in extremely preterm infants may result in more complications than clinical benefit. IMPACT: Randomized controlled trials spanning several decades have investigated the pharmacological treatment of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) but have failed to demonstrate an improvement in mortality or short-term morbidity. We conducted a Bayesian meta-analysis to answer the question: Is the pharmacological treatment of PDA beneficial or harmful in very and extremely preterm infants? Bayesian meta-analysis showed strong evidence in favor of higher rates of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and death or BPD in infants receiving pharmacological treatment of PDA when compared with infants receiving placebo or expectant management. Pharmacological treatment of PDA in extremely preterm infants may result in more complications than clinical benefit.

Indexed as

Ductus Arteriosus, PatentIbuprofenBayes TheoremBronchopulmonary DysplasiaGestational AgeHumansInfant, NewbornInfant, PrematureRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicTreatment OutcomeIbuprofen

Identifiers

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.