Introduction:

Pharmacological management ofpatent ductus arteriosus (PDA) usually includes non-selective inhibitors of the enzyme cyclooxygenase, especially indomethacin and ibuprofen. Recently, acetaminophen has also been suggested as a therapeutic alternative.

Objective:

To conduct a narrative review of the literature on pharmacological management of PDA.

Materials and methods:

Structured literature search conducted on the ProQuest, EBSCO, ScienceDirect, PubMed, LILACS, Embase, Trip Database, SciELO and Cochrane Library databases, with the terms "Ductus Arteriosus, patentAND therapeutics"; "Ductus Arteriosus, patent AND indometacin"; "Ductus Arteriosus, Patent AND ibuprofen", and "Ductus Arteriosus, patent AND acetaminophen", and their equivalents in Spanish.

Results:

69 articles had relevant information to carry out the present review.

Conclusions:

In premature infants, the mainstay of pharmacological treatment for PDA continues to be non-selective cyclooxygenase inhibitors, indomethacin and ibuprofen, all with similar safety and efficacy profiles. The available evidence suggests that acetaminophen may be a useful alternative for management, but it is insufficient to make definitive recommendations regarding the efficacy and safety of this drug.

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