Ductus arteriosus-associated infective endarteritis: Lessons from the past, future perspective.

Nowadays, a PDA-IE is an extremely rare, but still life-threating condition that may even affect patients with a nonpatent ductus arteriosus shortly after its obliteration and should be considered as infective complication in preterms, neonates, and small infants. Therefore, in septic neonates with bacteremia, transthoracic echocardiography may be integrated in the diagnostic workup, especially by fever without source and clinical signs of IE such as a new heart murmur.