Table 3

Characteristics and outcomes of infants born at 28–31 weeks’ gestational age in England and Wales from 2010 to 2017 with and without a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA)

Infant characteristics
40 607
With PDAWithout PDAP value for difference
n (%)6022 (14.8)34 585 (85.2)
Females, n (%)2857 (47.4)15 662 (45.3)0.002
Gestational age at birth (weeks), median (IQR)29 (28–30)30 (29–21)<0.001
Birth weight (in g), mean (SD)1238 (304)1403 (310)<0.001
Birth weight z-score, mean (SD)−0.19 (1.07)0.01 (0.99)<0.001
Length of stay (days), median (IQR)60 (46–75)41 (32–53)<0.001
Adverse outcomesWith PDAWithout PDAAdjusted OR (95% CI)
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia, n (%)1143 (19.0)1806 (5.2)2.74 (2.51 to 2.99)†
Necrotising enterocolitis, n (%)204 (3.4)443 (1.3)1.79 (1.49 to 2.15)†
Late onset sepsis, n (%)2481 (41.2)6730 (19.5)2.04 (1.91 to 2.17)†
Death before discharge, n (%)279 (4.6)1030 (3.0)1.03 (0.89 to 1.20)
  • *Adjusted for sex, gestational age and birth weight z-score <-2SD.

  • †P<0.05 with Bonferroni correction.