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Back to Cardiology Drug index
Name: Alprostadil
Pregnancy Category (not applicable)
Drug classes
Prostaglandin
Therapeutic actions
Relaxes vascular smooth muscle; the smooth muscle of the ductus arteriosus
is especially sensitive to this action and will relax and stay open; this
is beneficial in infants who have congenital defects that restrict pulmonary
or systemic blood flow and who depend on a patent ductus arteriosus for
adequate blood oxygenation and lower body perfusion.
Indications
Palliative therapy to temporarily maintain the patency of the ductus
arteriosus until corrective or palliative surgery can be performed in
neonates with congenital heart defects who depend on a patent ductus (eg,
pulmonary atresia or stenosis, tetralogy of Fallot, coarctation of the
aorta)
Contraindications/cautions
Contraindicated in the presence of respiratory distress syndrome.
Use caution in the presence of bleeding tendencies (drug inhibits platelet
aggregation).
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Adverse effects
- CNS: Seizures, cerebral bleeding, hypothermia, jitteriness, lethargy,
stiffness
- GI: Diarrhea
- CV: Bradycardia, flushing, tachycardia, hypotension, cardiac arrest,
heart block, CHF
- Respiratory: Apnea, respiratory distress
- Hematologic: Inhibited platelet aggregation, bleeding, anemia, disseminated
intravascular coagulation, hypokalemia
- Other: Cortical proliferation of the long bones (with prolonged
use, regresses after treatment is stopped), sepsis
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