Table 2.
Baseline characteristics
| MATERNAL | FIR group (n=110) | Non-FIR group (n=237) | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maternal age, yr (Mean ± SD) | 25±6 | 26±6 | 0.06 |
| Black race (%) | 48 | 53 | 0.39 |
| Multiple gestation (%) | 22 | 30 | 0.13 |
| Preeclampsia (%) | 5 | 17 | 0.003 |
| Full course of antenatal steroids (%) | 68 | 60 | 0.14 |
| Antepartum antibiotics (%) | 86 | 72 | 0.003 |
| Clinical chorioamnionitis (%)§ | 36 | 12 | 0.0001 |
| Rupture of membranes >18 hrs prior to delivery (%) | 73 | 38 | 0.0001 |
| NEONATAL | |||
| Birth weight, grams (Mean±SD) | 842±232 | 824±234 | 0.50 |
| Gestational age, wk (Median, IQR) | 25 (24–27) | 26 (25–28) | 0.002 |
| Male sex (%) | 50 | 50 | 0.97 |
| Apgar score at 5 min (Median, IQR) | 7 (5–8) | 7 (5–8) | 0.17 |
| Apgar scores ≤ 3 at 5 minutes (%) | 9 | 10 | 0.76 |
| Apgar scores < 7 at 5 minutes (%) | 37 | 35 | 0.72 |
| Cord pH (Mean ± SD)** | 7.21±0.08 | 7.25±0.12 | 0.47 |
| Respiratory distress syndrome (%)† | 92 | 88 | 0.36 |
| Prophylactic indomethacin (%) | 59 | 63 | 0.50 |
| Early onset sepsis (%) | 3 | 1 | 0.33 |
| Late onset sepsis (%) | 41 | 35 | 0.36 |
| Intraventricular hemorrhage Grade 3 or 4* (%)28¶ | 23 | 14 | 0.04 |
| Cystic periventricular leukomalacia*(%)‡ | 4 | 4 | 0.91 |
n=332, infants who survived to 28 days of age
n=285, cord arterial pH
Respiratory distress syndrome was defined as clinical features of respiratory distress and/or required oxygen or positive pressure support for more than 6 hours within the first 24 hours
Cystic periventricular leukomalacia was defined by sonogram as any cystic area(s) in the brain parenchyma within 28 days
Clinical chorioamnionitis was considered a medical diagnosis if it was documented in the mother’s medical record by obstetricians, usually based on maternal temperature, uterine tenderness, fetal tachycardia or other clinical variables.
Intraventricular hemorrhage was defined by sonogram as any blood/echo-density in the brain parenchyma (grade 4) or any ventricular size enlargement with our without concurrent or prior intraventicular blood (grade 3).