title: Comparison of Oral Acetaminophen Versus Ibuprofen in Premature Infants With Patent Ductus Arteriosus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a common cause of morbidity. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of oral Acetaminophen and oral Ibuprofen for the closure of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in preterm infants.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study demonstrated that, there was no significant difference between treatment of PDA with either oral Acetaminophen or oral Ibuprofen in preterm neonates.
  
  
  METHODS
  This clinical trial, randomized study, enrolled 120 infants, with a gestational age of < 37 weeks, who were admitted in neonatal intensive care unit of Afzalipour hospital, Kerman, Iran, in 2014. PDA was confirmed echocardiographically. The trial was registered in Iranian registry of clinical trials (Reg. No. 25542). Sixty-seven infants received oral Acetaminophen (15mg/kg every six hours for three days) and 62 infants received Ibuprofen (an initial dose of 20 mg/kg, followed by 10 mg/kg at 24 and 48 hours). To evaluate the efficacy of the treatment, a second echocardiography was done after completing the treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After the first course of the treatment, PDA closed in 55 (82.1 %) patients who received oral Acetaminophen vs. 47 (75.8 %) of those given oral Ibuprofen (P = 0.38). After the second course of treatment, PDA closed in 50 % of oral Acetaminophen group and 73.3% of oral Ibuprofen group (P = 0.21).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrated that, there was no significant difference between treatment of PDA with either oral Acetaminophen or oral Ibuprofen in preterm neonates. Oral Ibuprofen can effectively close PDA but is unfortunately associated with some adverse effects limiting its utility thus we studied an alternative drug with similar efficacy and less adverse effects. This study has recommends Acetaminophen with minimal complications for the treatment of PDA in preterm neonates instead of Ibuprofen.
authors.affiliation: Afzalipour Medical Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Mehdi
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Bagheri
authors.affiliation: Afzalipour Medical Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Pedram
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Niknafs
authors.affiliation: Afzalipour Medical Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sabsevari
authors.affiliation: Afzalipour Medical Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Hosein
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Torabi
authors.affiliation: Afzalipour Medical Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Bahareh
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bahman Bijari
authors.affiliation: Afzalipour Medical Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Elahe
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Noroozi
authors.affiliation: Afzalipour Medical Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Hamid
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mossavi
keywords: Acetaminophen; Echocardiography; Ibuprofen; Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU); Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA)