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Muhammad Rashid Shabeer¹, Athar Razzaq¹, Ejaz Ahmad¹, Muhammad Ali¹, Sana Arshad¹ and Kiran Abbas²

ABSTRACT

Objective: To compare the short-term outcome of antenatal exposure to steroids in the case of planned and unplanned antenatal steroids.

Study Design: A retrospective study

Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at the Neonatology Department of Recep Tayyip Erdogan Hospital Muzaffargarh between July 2016 till June 2021.

Materials and Methods: The cases of mothers who were at risk of preterm labor were given 12 mg dexamethasone 24 hours apart and then followed for the next seven days to determine the frequency of pregnancies delivered during the effective period of steroid, i.e.,  24 hrs. after and within seven days of the last dose of steroid and then divided in two groups A and B. Group A included those who received Planned steroids and Group B included those who received Unplanned steroids. Data were compared between the two groups.

Results: Out of 201 preterm neonates, 140 (69.7%) were administered planned steroids. A total of 44 (21.89%) suffered from respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), 13 (6.47%) from retinopathy of prematurity, 11 (5.47%) from necrotizing enterocolitis, and 8 (3.98%) from pneumothorax. 8 (3.98%) preterm babies expired. Lower weight and gestational age were significantly associated with a higher rate of mortality (p<0.0001).

Conclusion: Patients with planned steroid administration suffered from significantly lower rates of neonatal complications than those with unplanned antenatal steroid administration.

Key Words: Antenatal Corticosteroids, Intraventricular Hemorrhage, Necrotizing Enterocolitis, Premature Birth, Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Retinopathy of Prematurity

Citation of article: Shabeer MR, Razzaq A, Ahmad E, Ali M, Arshad S, Abbas K. Short Term Outcomes of the Use of Antenatal Steroids in Preterm Infants. Med Forum 2022;33(8):64-68.