The Effects of Phototherapy in Preterm Infants Pda

Phototherapy is a therapeutic intervention frequently used for management of neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia in extremely premature infants, especially in the first week when patency of the ductus is a clinical problem. Phototherapy has also been implicated in increased ductal patency. One randomized, controlled trial showed that chest shielding during phototherapy reduced the incidence and severity of PDA by 50% in preterm infants. These findings were mainly based on clinical evaluation of the ductus with echocardiographic studies performed only on a subgroup of infants noted to have a murmur on clinical examination.