Elaine Shelton

From left, Jennifer Herington, PhD, Jeff Reese, MD, Elaine Shelton, PhD, and Shajila Siricilla, PhD, are studying whether drugs given to premature infants in the NICU contribute to patent ductus arteriosus.

Study seeks to explore drug link to fetal vessel defect

Vanderbilt researchers have received a grant to study whether drugs given to premature infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) contribute to a potentially lethal condition called patent ductus arteriosus.

Pregnant woman holding pill pack

Fetal impact of antidepressants

Antidepressant use during pregnancy is common. Fetal exposure to the class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is associated with the life-threatening condition PPHN (persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn), but a causal link has not been established.