When a baby is born prematurely, they may have a heart condition called Patent Ductus Arteriosus. This is a small opening in a blood vessel that should have closed before birth. Doctors often use medications called cyclooxygenase inhibitors, such as ibuprofen or indomethacin, to help close this opening.
Researchers looked at 33 different studies to see how well these drugs worked over time. They found that the first course of medication had a 62% success rate in closing the opening. However, the success rate dropped to 46% after a second course and even lower to 38% after a third course.
While these results show a clear drop in effectiveness for later treatments, there is a catch. The researchers had limited data on side effects and safety for these repeated doses. Because of this missing information, the safety of using multiple rounds of medication is not yet fully clear.
