Steroids During Late Preterm Labor? Better Later Than Never

CAVEATS

Neonates may develop hypoglycemia

The authors of the study reported an increased risk for hypoglycemia in the neonates receiving antenatal betamethasone. The long-term implications of this are unclear, however, given that there was a reduction in intermediate care nursery and neonatal ICU stays that were three days or longer in the betamethasone group. There was also no difference in hospital length of stay between the two groups. Additionally, it’s unclear if there are any long-term neonatal complications of betamethasone use in the late preterm period.

CHALLENGES TO IMPLEMENTATION

Challenges are negligible

There are minimal challenges to implementing this strategy, as betamethasone is routinely used for preterm labor and is readily available on labor and delivery units.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The PURLs Surveillance System was supported in part by Grant Number UL1RR024999 from the National Center For Research Resources, a Clinical Translational Science Award to the University of Chicago. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Center For Research Resources or the National Institutes of Health.

Copyright © 2017. The Family Physicians Inquiries Network. All rights reserved.

Reprinted with permission from the Family Physicians Inquiries Network and The Journal of Family Practice. 2017;66(2):104-106.