Table 3.
Secondary maternal and neonatal outcomes
| Outcome | Dexamethasone n/N (%) | Placebo n/N (%) | Relative risk (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neonatal outcome | |||
| Stillbirth | 115/1544 (7.5) | 113/1526 (7.4) | 1.00 (0.78-1.30) |
| Early neonatal death (≤7 days) | 218/1417 (15.4) | 268/1406 (19.1) | 0.81 (0.68-0.96) |
| Severe respiratory distress* • At 24 h |
116/1245 (9.3) | 141/1223 (11.5) | 0.81 (0.64-1.03) |
| 34/1122 (3.0) | 58/1065 (5.5) | 0.56 (0.37-0.85) | |
| Neonatal sepsis | 183/1284 (14.3) | 197/1264 (15.6) | 0.92 (0.76-1.11) |
| Hypoglycemia * • At 6 h • At 36 h |
301/1242 (24.2) | 328/1217 (27.0) | 0.91 (0.80-1.04) |
| 92/1224 (7.5) | 123/1194 (10.3) | 0.73 (0.56-0.95) | |
| 54/1035 (5.2) | 62/999 (6.2) | 0.85 (0.60-1.21) | |
| Major resuscitation at birth | 101/1382 (7.3) | 144/1383 (10.4) | 0.70 (0.55-0.88) |
| Use of oxygen therapy* | 726/1429 (50.8) | 756/1413 (53.5) | 0.95 (0.88-1.02) |
| Use of CPAP* | 265/1429 (18.5) | 337/1413 (23.9) | 0.78 (0.67-0.90) |
| Use of mechanical ventilation* | 83/1284 (6.5) | 103/1264 (8.2) | 0.79 (0.59-1.05) |
| Use of parenteral therapeutic antibiotics for 5 days or more ǂ | 527/1245 (42.3) | 494/1175 (42.0) | 1.00 (0.91-1.10) |
| Admission to a special care unit | 905/1287 (70.3) | 897/1268 (70.7) | 0.99 (0.94-1.04) |
| Maternal outcomes | |||
| Maternal death | 5/1429 (0.4) | 4/1423 (0.3) | 1.23 (0.33-4.57) |
| Maternal fever | 78/1417 (5.5) | 70/1406 (5.0) | 1.10 (0.80-1.50) |
| Chorioamnionitis | 17/1429 (1.2) | 18/1423 (1.3 | 0.93 (0.48-1.80) |
| Endometritis | 5/1429 (0.4) | 3/1423 (0.2) | 1.65 (0.39-6.92) |
| Wound infection | 8/1429 (0.6) | 15/1423 (1.1) | 0.53 (0.22-1.25) |
| Non-obstetric infection | 34/1429 (2.4) | 42/1423 (3.0) | 0.81 (0.52- 1.26) |
| Therapeutic antibiotics | 68/1427 (4.8) | 89/1422 (6.3) | 0.76 (0.56-1.03) |
| Any antibiotic use | 1205/1353 (89.1) | 1216/1355 (89.7) | 1.00 (0.97-1.02) |
*
Measured during initial postnatal hospitalization only, until death, discharge or completed day 7 (whichever came first); h, hours; CPAP, continuous positive airway pressure;
ǂ
parenteral therapeutic antibiotics for 5 days or more, even if interrupted, excluding neonates who died before 5 completed days; referral for treatment not presented because of very few events.