Tip 17: antenatal steroids

Treatment with antenatal corticosteroids is associated with an overall reduction in   neonatal death (RR 0.69), RDS (RR 0.66), IVH (RR 0.54),  NEC (RR 0.46),  intensive care admissions (RR 0.80) and systemic infections in the first 48 hours of life (RR 0.56).

External links: Roberts D, Dalziel S: Antenatal corticosteroids for accelerating fetal lung maturation for women at risk of preterm birth. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2006;3:CD004454.