Antenatal administration of steroids at 22 weeks of gestational age enhances survival among extremely preterm infants, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.¹

The multicenter study enrolled 431 extremely premature infants born between January 2016 and December 2019. Of these, 321 were exposed to steroids in the antenatal period, while 110 were not. In the antenatal steroid treated group, nearly 54% of the infants exposed to complete antenatal steroids (two doses administered in a gap of 24 hours) survived until they were discharged from hospital. Among the partially exposed group (one dose), 37.5% infants survived to discharge, while the survival rate among infants who were not exposed to treatment was 35.5%.

This study shows that exposure to antenatal steroids increased the probability of survival, which was the primary outcome, among the extremely preterm babies with adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 1.95. Their chances of survival without any major complications, the secondary endpoint of the study, also increased three-folds with aOR of 2.74. It also supports administration of antenatal steroids to mothers at risk for preterm delivery at 22 weeks.

Reference

1. Chawla, S. Association of antenatal steroid exposure at 21 to 22 weeks of gestation with neonatal survival and survival without morbidities. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 Sep 1;5(9):e2233331. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.33331.