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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Med.
Sec. Dermatology
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1439449

Oral Propranolol for the Treatment of Hemangiomas in High-Risk Infants: Safety and Cost Analysis of Outpatient-Initiated Therapy

Provisionally accepted
Rina Su Rina Su 1Hua Qian Hua Qian 2Cui Hu Cui Hu 2Wei Li Wei Li 2Jibin Li Jibin Li 2Bo Wu Bo Wu 2Yang Gu Yang Gu 2Ting Zhang Ting Zhang 2Yafen Wu Yafen Wu 2Yingying Qian Yingying Qian 2Hui Lu Hui Lu 2*
  • 1 Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
  • 2 Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objectives: To investigate the safety and cost analysis of oral propranolol treatment for high-risk infantile hemangiomas starting from the outpatient setting.Methods: A total of 41 high-risk infantile hemangioma patients from outpatient settings and 43 from inpatient settings were selected for the study. After routine pre-treatment examinations, patients were administered propranolol in a stepwise incremental dosing regimen over three consecutive days in the outpatient clinic. Changes in heart rate, blood pressure and PR interval before and after medication were compared. On the 10th day post-medication, liver and kidney functions, fasting blood glucose, tumor ultrasonography, and electrocardiogram were re-evaluated. The costs of treatment starting from the outpatient clinic (including pre-treatment examinations and the first three days of treatment) were calculated and compared with those of similarly managed inpatient cases.Results: The majority of patients exhibited a reduction in heart rate and blood pressure , as well as an extended PR interval after treatment of medication (P<0.05), which remained within normal limits without clinical symptoms. On the 10th day postmedication, statistical differences in blood biochemistry and electrocardiograms were observed when compared to pre-treatment values (P<0.05), but all values remained within normal ranges. No severe adverse reactions such as hypoglycemia occurred.Additionally, the cost of treatment from the outpatient clinic was significantly lower than that of inpatient care.Conclusions: Oral propranolol treatment for high-risk infantile hemangiomas starting from the outpatient setting is associated with few adverse reactions and significantly reduced treatment costs. It is worthy of broader application in hospitals without dermatology wards.

    Keywords: infantile hemangioma, outpatient treatment, Safety analysis, cost analysis, Oral Propanolol

    Received: 28 May 2024; Accepted: 27 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Su, Qian, Hu, Li, Li, Wu, Gu, Zhang, Wu, Qian and Lu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Hui Lu, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215003, Jiangsu Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.