| Methods |
Randomised controlled trial |
| Participants |
30 preterm infants, oxygen‐ and ventilator‐dependent on 10th day and at high risk of BPD by authors' own scoring system (90% risk) |
| Interventions |
Dexamethasone 0.50 mg/kg/d for 6 days, 0.25 mg/kg/d for 6 days, and 0.125 mg/kg/d for 3 days (total dose 4.75 mg/kg) from 10th day intravenously. Control group received no placebo. |
| Outcomes |
Failure to extubate at 28 days, BPD (28 days of life and 36 weeks' PMA), infection, hyperglycaemia, hypertension, PDA, severe IVH, NEC, received late steroids, severe ROP, left ventricular hypertrophy |
| Notes |
— |
| Risk of bias |
| Bias |
Authors' judgement |
Support for judgement |
| Random sequence generation (selection bias) |
Unclear risk |
Random allocation via numbered sealed envelopes |
| Allocation concealment (selection bias) |
Low risk |
Alloocation concealment: yes |
| Blinding (performance bias and detection bias)
All outcomes |
High risk |
Blinding of intervention: no |
| Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias)
All outcomes |
High risk |
Blinding of intervention: no |
| Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias)
All outcomes |
Low risk |
Blinding of outcome measurement: yes |
| Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias)
All outcomes |
Low risk |
Complete follow‐up: yes |
| Selective reporting (reporting bias) |
Low risk |
All prespecified outcomes reported |
