Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate
Risk Factor: C
Class: Cardiovascular drugs
/ Vasodilators
Contents of this page:
Fetal Risk Summary
Pentaerythritol tetranitrate is a long-acting agent used for the prevention of angina pectoris. Because of the nature of its indication, experience in pregnancy is limited.
The Collaborative Perinatal Project recorded 3 1st trimester exposures to pentaerythritol tetranitrate plus 12 other patients exposed to other vasodilators (1). From this small sample, four malformed children were produced, a statistically significant incidence (p<0.02). It was not reported whether pentaerythritol tetranitrate was taken by any of the mothers of the affected infants. Although these data serve as a warning, the number of patients is so small that conclusions as to the relative safety of this drug cannot be made.
Breast Feeding Summary
No data are available.
References
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Heinonen OP, Slone D, Shapiro S. Birth Defects and Drugs in Pregnancy. Littleton, MA: Publishing Sciences Group, 1977.
