Takeaway
- Antenatal corticosteroids administered 2-7 days prior to delivery have the greatest effect in preventing neonatal respiratory distress syndrome.
Why this matters
- Premature birth is responsible for a large proportion of neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide.
Key results
- 56.4% study neonates were diagnosed with respiratory distress syndrome and 27.3% with major neonatal morbidity.
- Neonates exposed to antenatal corticosteroids for 2 to <7 days prior to delivery had the lowest odds (aORs) of respiratory distress syndrome compared with both shorter and longer intervals of steroid receipt to delivery:
- <2 days: 2.07 (P<.001);
- 2 to <7 days before delivery: 1.0 (referent);
- 7 to <14 days: 1.40 (P=.015); and
- ≥14 days: 2.34 (P<.001).
Study design
- Secondary analysis of 2 multicenter studies of the effects of antenatal magnesium sulfate.
- Women with singleton pregnancies who received a single dose of antenatal corticosteroids and delivered between 23 weeks 0 days and 33 weeks 6 days were included (n=2259).
- Primary outcome was respiratory distress syndrome in the neonate.
- Funding: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Genomic and Proteomic Network for Preterm Birth Research.
Limitations
- Studies were conducted over different time periods and had different protocols.
References
References
