Short term outcomes of preterm infants following antenatal corticosteroid treatment for childbearing women at 34 (0/7) to 36 (6/7) weeks: do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

Abstract

Background The effects of maternal antenatal corticosteroid (ACS) treatment on the short-term outcome of late preterm infants are unclear.Methods This is a retrospective cohort study. Data of pregnant women who gave birth between 34 (0/7) to 36 (6/7) weeks gestation from January 2014 to June 2019 were collected. Nine short-term outcomes of preterm infants from mothers who received ACS treatment were compared to preterm infants from mothers who did not receive ACS treatment.Results The results were as follows: (1) ACS administration to pregnant women at high risk for giving birth between 34 (0/7) to 36 (6/7) weeks pregnancy, can decrease the cost and inpatient time of their infants; (2) lack of maternal ACS treatment is an independent risk factor for neonatal respiratory distress syndrome; (3) use of maternal ACS does not increase the risk of neonatal pneumonia, neonatal hypoglycemia, neonatal sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis of newborns, neonatal intracranial hemorrhage, and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in preterm infants.Conclusions Use of ACS for pregnant women at risk for giving birth between 34 (0/7) to 36 (6/7) weeks pregnancy has more advantage than disadvantage. Our study provides evidence-based medicine for clinicians to make ACS treatment choices for pregnant women with risk of giving birth between 34 (0/7) to 36(6/7) weeks gestation.