Comparison of neonatal outcomes with and without the administration of betamethasone in late preterm births

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effects of antenatal steroid administration on neonatal outcomes in late preterm births.

Methods: Demographic and neonatal data from women who gave birth between May 2018 and March 2021 at 34⁺⁰ -36⁺⁶ weeks of gestation were screened from the information system of the hospital. The patients were assigned to two groups: those who were and those who were not given steroids. All parameters were compared between the two groups.

Results: The 1-minute (9 versus 8) and 5-minute (10 versus 9) Apgar scores, need for a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stay (23.7% versus 27.8%), length of stay (Day) in the NICU (1.97 ± 0.24 versus 2.45 ± 0.16), rate of transient tachypnea of the newborn (3.3% versus 7.8%), respiratory distress syndrome (2.5% versus 5.2%), need for mechanical ventilation (1.2% versus 3.8%), and neonatal sepsis (1% versus 2.6%) were lower in the group that received betamethasone compared with the group that did not; the differences between the two groups were statistically significant.

Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, we believe that antenatal steroid administration would be beneficial before late preterm births occurring between 34⁺⁰ and 36⁺⁶ weeks of pregnancy, considering the significant reduction in various respiratory complications, especially in respiratory distress syndrome and the need for an NICU stay.

Keywords: betamethasone; late preterm; respiratory distress syndrome; transient tachypnea of the newborn.