PHARMACOLOGICAL APPROACH AND TREATMENT OF PATENT DUCTUS ARTERIOSUS

The ductus arteriosus (CA) is an important vessel responsible for redirecting blood from the right ventricle to the descending aorta in the fetus. At birth, the AC undergoes physiological stimuli, causing the vessel to constrict. Some congenital heart diseases are caused by malformations in the structures of the heart resulting in cardiovascular hemodynamic dysfunction, among them the most common is patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), which is the difficulty in closing the ductus arteriosus in newborns. The aim of this article is to scan the medical literature to gain a detailed understanding of the pathophysiology of PDA in order to develop effective diagnostic strategies and appropriate therapeutic approaches. An integrative literature review was carried out, using databases as search engines and defining descriptors in order to filter the data. Thus, the review of these articles shows a relationship between patent ductus arteriosus and gestational age, especially at gestational ages of less than 28 weeks. The prevalence is due to the structural and functional immaturity of the ductus arteriosus, which remains open to supply the fetal circulation, thus requiring intervention and effective approaches, which should follow a step-by-step protocol, capable of evolving from pharmacological treatment to surgical procedure. The choice must be compatible with the patient's clinical conditions for a good clinical outcome.