American journal of perinatology | 2019
Retrospective Analysis of Short-Term Respiratory Outcomes of Three Different Steroids Used in Clinical Practice in Intubated Preterm Infants.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE\n\u2003To compare short-term respiratory outcomes of three steroids (dexamethasone, hydrocortisone, and methylprednisolone) to facilitate extubation by improving respiratory status in preterm infants.\n\n\nSTUDY DESIGN\n\u2003This is a retrospective, single-center, cohort study of 98 intubated preterm infants ≤346/7\u2009weeks gestation, admitted to a 64-bed, level III neonatal intensive care unit at the Women & Children s Hospital of Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, between 2006 and 2012, who received a short course of low-dose steroids for lung disease after first week of life.\n\n\nRESULTS\n\u2003Study infants received dexamethasone (34%), hydrocortisone (44%), or methylprednisolone (22%) based on clinical team preference. By day 7 after initiation of steroids, extubation occurred in 59, 44, and 41%, respectively, in infants on dexamethasone, hydrocortisone, and methylprednisolone (p\u2009=\u20090.3). The mean respiratory severity score (RSS\u2009=\u2009fraction of inspired oxygen\u2009×\u2009mean airway pressure), a quantitative measure of respiratory status, decreased by 44% for all infants and by 59% in the dexamethasone group by day 7.\n\n\nCONCLUSION\n\u2003Steroids improved short-term respiratory outcomes in all infants (RSS and extubation); by day 7, dexamethasone treatment was associated with the greatest decrease in RSS. Additional prospective, randomized trials of short-course low-dose steroids are warranted to substantiate these findings to guide clinical decision making and in evaluating differential steroid effects on long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes.