Outcomes of postnatal systemic corticosteroids administration in ventilated preterm newborns: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

Introduction: Prolonged mechanical ventilation, commonly used to assist preterm newborns, increases the risk of developing bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). In recent decades, studies have demonstrated that systemic corticosteroids play a significant role in the prevention and management of BPD. In this systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), we evaluated the association between the administration of systemic corticosteroids in preterm infants and its long-term outcomes, such as neurodevelopment, growth, extubation rate, and related adverse effects. Methods: We conducted an electronic search in Medline, Scopus, and PubMed using the following terms: "premature infants" and "corticosteroids." We considered all RCTs published up to June 2023 as eligible. We included all studies involving preterm newborns treated with systemic corticosteroids and excluded studies on inhaled corticosteroids. Results: A total of 39 RCTs were evaluated. The influence of steroids administered systemically during the neonatal period on long-term neurological outcomes remains unknown, with no influence observed for long-term growth. The postnatal administration of systemic corticosteroids has been found to reduce the timing of extubation and improve respiratory outcomes. Dexamethasone appears to be more effective than hydrocortisone, despite causing a higher rate of systemic hypertension and hyperglycemia. However, in the majority of RCTs analyzed, there were no differences in the adverse effects related to postnatal corticosteroid administration. Conclusion: Dexamethasone administered during the neonatal period appears to be more effective than hydrocortisone in terms of respiratory outcomes; however, caution should be taken when administering dexamethasone. Data derived from current evidence, including meta-analyses, are inconclusive on the long-term effects of the administration of systemic steroids in preterm infants or the possibility of neurodevelopmental consequences.

Intravenous Lipid Emulsions Affect Respiratory Outcome in Preterm Newborn: A Case-Control Study.

(1) Background: Hypertriglyceridemia (HiTG) is a metabolic complication of intravenous lipid emulsions (ILEs) infusion. We aimed to evaluate the influence of HiTG on the respiratory outcome of preterm babies; (2) Methods: We enrolled, in a case-control study, newborns with gestational age <32 weeks or birth weight <1500 g, over a 3-year period. They were divided into cases and controls; cases were defined by the detection of HiTG defined as serum triglycerides (TG) value >150 mg/dL; (3) Results: We enrolled 40 cases and 105 controls. Cases had an increased incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (30.0% vs. 14.3%, p < 0.05) and longer duration of invasive mechanical ventilation (7 days, 95% CI 4-10 days vs. 4 days, 95% CI 1-7 days, p < 0.01) compared to controls. Multivariate analysis confirmed that HiTG independently influenced the duration of invasive mechanical ventilation, also in the subgroups with gestational age ≤28 + 6/7 weeks or birth weight ≤1000 g; (4) Conclusion: Newborns with HiTG related to ILEs had a longer duration of invasive mechanical ventilation. Temporary suspension or reduction in ILEs in the case of HiTG is associated with an improvement of respiratory outcome.

Morbidity associated with patent ductus arteriosus in preterm newborns: a retrospective case-control study.

INTRODUCTION: Association between persistency of a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) and morbidity in preterm newborns is still controversial. We aimed to investigate the relation between PDA and morbidity in a large retrospective study. METHODS: A case-control study including neonates consecutively admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), with gestational age (GA) < 32 weeks or body birth weight (BW) < 1500 g, over a 5-year period. Newborns were divided into Cases and Controls, according with the presence or absence of a hemodynamically significant PDA (hs-PDA). RESULTS: We enrolled 85 Cases and 193 Controls. Subjects with hs-PDA had significantly (p < 0.001) lower GA (26.7 w, 95%CI 27.1-28.0 vs. 30.1 w, 95%CI 29.7-30.4), BW (1024 g, 95% CI 952-1097 vs. 1310 g 95%CI 1263-1358) and an increased morbidity (60.0% vs. 18.7%). In a sub-group of extremely preterm newborns (GA ≤ 28 weeks and BW ≤ 1000 g), the rate of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) was significantly increased in Cases (31.7%) compared with Controls (5.9%, p = 0.033). Multivariate analysis showed that morbidity significantly depended on hs-PDA, GA and BW, and that, in extremely preterms, the hs-PDA represented an independent risk factor for BPD. CONCLUSIONS: Occurrence of the main morbidities of prematurity depended by hs-PDA, in association with GA, BW, and use of prenatal steroids. In extremely premature babies, hs-PDA is a risk factor for BPD, one of the most important morbidity of prematurity, independently by other confounding variables.