[The effect of antenatal corticosteroid prophylaxis in premature newborns with the use of surfactant therapy].

The study is retrospective aiming to elucidate the effect of antenatal corticosteroids (CS) for prevention of RDS in preterm deliveries, followed by surfactant therapy. 28 premature babies from 26 to 31 gest. weeks, receiving Curosurf at birth, were included in the study. They were divided in two groups: group A-17 babies of mothers with CS prophylaxis and group B-11 babies from deliveries without prenatal CS. All babies were followed for incidence and severity of RDS, duration of artificial ventilation and oxygen therapy. Although mean gestational age and body weight are lower in group A, incidence of severe RDS is lower (23.5% versus 36.4% in group B); duration of artificial ventilation with FiO2 > 0.60 and as a whole is smaller (mean 28.9 hrs and 186 hrs v/s 50.3 hrs and 228 hrs resp. in group B; p < 0.05), duration of oxygen therapy is shorter (mean 428 hrs v/s 540 hrs in group B; p < 0.05), smaller is the incidence of pneumothorax, IVH gr. III-IV, inborn infections and death rate although not statistically significant. The conclusion is made that antenatal use of CS improves lung function in premature babies and potentiates the effect of surfactant.