RESUMO
BACKGROUND: A delay in spontaneous closure of the patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is frequent in premature infant and may lead to cardiopulmonary congestion and death. Surgical closure of the PDA in the premature infant can be a safe and effective procedure. Now, several centers prefer to eliminate the problem of transportation to operating room and adopt the policy of operating in the newborn intensive care unit (NBICU). So we investgated the anesthetic management and clinical status of premature infants who underwent surgical closure of PDA. METHODS: We analyzed retrospectively the anesthetic management and clinical status of eleven premature infants below 1,500 g birth weight. RESULTS: Range of gestational age of infants was 24-30 weeks. Most common cause of operation was failure of medical treatment. All infants had features of respiratory distresses and prematurity complications. Fentanyl, vecuronium, oxygen, and air constituted a anesthetic regimen. The body temperature remained stable. Systemic blood pressure with ligation of PDA increased to 66.3 17.4 mmHg (mean+/-SD). After operation, three infants died from complication of prematurity. There were no deaths directly related to operation. Four infants underwent operation in NBICU and also had no wound infections. CONCLUSIONS: Premature infants with PDA had associated complications of prematurity and were severely ill. If the infants did not respond to medical therapy, the PDA was closed by operation with adequate anesthesia. Furthermore, the operation can be performed safely and efficiently in the operating room or NBICU.