Cardiorespiratory Instability after Percutaneous Patent Ductus Arteriosus Closure: A Multicenter Cohort Study

Objective: To evaluate postprocedural clinical characteristics of preterm infants undergoing transcatheter patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) closure, including oxygenation/ventilation failure and cardiovascular compromise.

Study design: Multicenter retrospective cohort study of preterm infants who were ≤2 kg at the time of percutaneous PDA closure between August 2018 and July 2021. Indices of cardiorespiratory stability were collected pre-closure, immediately post-closure, and subsequently averaged every 4 hours for the first 24 hours post-procedure. The primary outcome was incidence of post-transcatheter cardiorespiratory syndrome: composite of hemodynamic instability (defined by systemic hypotension, systemic hypertension, or use of new inotropes/vasopressors in the first 24 hours after catheterization) and at least one of the following: (i) ventilation failure or (ii) oxygenation failure.

Results: A total of 197 patients were included with a median [IQR] age and weight at catheterization of 34 [25, 43] days and 1090 [900, 1367] grams, respectively. The primary composite outcome of post-transcatheter cardiorespiratory syndrome was reported in 46 (23.3%).

Conclusion: Post-transcatheter cardiorespiratory syndrome is characterized primarily by systemic hypertension and oxygenation failure, with a very low incidence of hypotension and need for inotropes.