A Randomized Trial Comparing the Impact of One Versus Two Courses of Antenatal Steroids (ACS) on Neonatal Outcome

NCT ID: NCT00201643

Last Updated: 2015-01-07

Study Results

Results available

Outcome measurements, participant flow, baseline characteristics, and adverse events have been published for this study.

View full results

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

PHASE4

Total Enrollment

437 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2003-11-30

Study Completion Date

2008-02-29

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

The hypothesis is that administration of two courses of antenatal corticosteroids, compared to one course, will show a 40% reduction in the incidence of composite neonatal morbidity in patients delivering prior to 34 weeks' gestation.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

This is a randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled trial. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of one versus two courses of antenatal steroids on the incidence of major neonatal morbidity including respiratory distress syndrome in patients delivering prior to 34 weeks' gestation in a randomized prospective fashion.

Preterm delivery occurs in approximately 10% of all deliveries in the United States. Preterm birth is the cause of 75% of neonatal mortality not mentioning the significantly increased morbidity from respiratory distress syndrome, intraventricular hemorrhage, necrotizing enterocolitis, and sepsis. Numerous studies have evaluated the safety and efficacy of antenatal corticosteroid (ACS) administration in threatened preterm labor.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) first consensus conference in 1994 evaluated the research in this field. Conclusions included the clear evidence that antenatal corticosteroids decrease the incidence of RDS in infants born at 29-34 weeks gestation, with a decrease in RDS severity for infants born at 24-28 weeks gestation and a decrease in the incidence of intraventricular hemorrhage in infants born at 24-28 weeks gestation without harm to mother or fetus. Their recommendation was to give a single course of corticosteroids to all pregnant women between 24 and 34 weeks gestation who are at risk of preterm delivery within 7 days.

Since the studies on the duration of the effects of antenatal corticosteroids in the fetus are not conclusive, many obstetricians repeat corticosteroids weekly or bi-weekly to patients continuing to be at risk for preterm delivery. Lacking scientific evidence, many investigators have performed retrospective analyses regarding the effects of single-course versus multiple-course antenatal corticosteroids.

The NIH consensus panel reconvened in 2000 and concluded that studies regarding repeated courses of corticosteroids are suggestive of possible benefits, especially in reduction of RDS, however, design flaws limit their validity.

The more recent publication from Caughey and Parer examined the literature for evidence regarding a dose response of the benefits and detriments of antenatal corticosteroids. Based on their complex mathematical analysis they recommend all fetus' between 24 and 34 weeks' gestation at risk for preterm delivery should be given a first course of ANC. If the risk of preterm delivery persists the next course should be given 2 weeks later, for a maximum of two courses. Consistent with all previous articles, the call for a well designed randomized, controlled trial is made.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Preterm Delivery

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

PREVENTION

Blinding Strategy

QUADRUPLE

Participants Caregivers Investigators Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

1 Test group

Receive 2nd Course = Study drug (betamethasone or dexamethasone)

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Betamethasone or Dexamethasone (2nd course of ACS)

Intervention Type DRUG

Course of Betamethasone or Dexamethasone

2 - Control

Placebo group = received placebo course

Group Type PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Placebo

Intervention Type DRUG

Course of Placebo (NS)

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Betamethasone or Dexamethasone (2nd course of ACS)

Course of Betamethasone or Dexamethasone

Intervention Type DRUG

Placebo

Course of Placebo (NS)

Intervention Type DRUG

Other Intervention Names

Discover alternative or legacy names that may be used to describe the listed interventions across different sources.

Beta Dex Placebo, Normal Saline.

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* 25 to 32 6/7 weeks gestation
* Singleton or twin gestation
* Received 1st course of betamethasone prior to 30 weeks' gestation
* Began 1st course of betamethasone at least 14 days prior to randomization
* Risk of delivery in next 7 days due to either maternal or fetal complication (e.g. preterm labor, severe preeclampsia, IUGR, etc.)
* Intact membranes

Exclusion Criteria

* Known major fetal anomalies (eg: anencephaly, renal agenesis etc…)
* High order multiple gestation (triplets or higher)
* Cervical dilation \> 5 cm
* Clinical chorioamnionitis prior to initiation of second course (two or more of the following; antepartum temperature \> 38ºC (100.4ºF), uterine tenderness, foul smelling vaginal discharge or amniotic fluid, maternal tachycardia (\>100beats/min), fetal tachycardia (\>160 beats/min), or white blood cell count \>20x109/L.define)
* Ruptured membranes prior to initiation of second course of betamethasone
* Already receiving corticosteroids for other conditions (e.g. Lupus, asthma)
* Maternal condition contraindicating the use of steroids (e.g. HIV, active Tuberculosis)
* Participation in conflicting study
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

60 Years

Eligible Sex

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Obstetrix Medical Group

INDUSTRY

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Kimberly Maurel, RN, MSN, CNS

Role: STUDY_DIRECTOR

Obstetrix Medical Group, Inc.

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

Desert Good Samaritan Hospital

Mesa, Arizona, United States

Site Status

Banner Good Sammaritan Hospital

Phoenix, Arizona, United States

Site Status

Tucson Medical Center

Tucson, Arizona, United States

Site Status

Saddleback Memorial Medical Center

Laguna Hills, California, United States

Site Status

Long Beach Memorial Medical Center

Long Beach, California, United States

Site Status

University of Sourthern California-Irvine Medical Center

Orange, California, United States

Site Status

Good Samaritan Hospital

San Jose, California, United States

Site Status

Swedish Medical Center

Denver, Colorado, United States

Site Status

Presbyterian/St Luke's Hospital

Denver, Colorado, United States

Site Status

Rose Medical Center

Denver, Colorado, United States

Site Status

Skyridge Medical Center

Lonetree, Colorado, United States

Site Status

Mercy Medical Center

Des Moines, Iowa, United States

Site Status

Tufts-New England Medical Center

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Site Status

Saint Luke's Hospital, Kansas City

Kansas City, Missouri, United States

Site Status

Saint John's Regional Health Center

Springfield, Missouri, United States

Site Status

University Med. Ctr. of Southern Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Site Status

Sunrise Medical Center

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Site Status

Erlanger Medical Center

Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States

Site Status

University of Tennessee Medical Center

Knoxville, Tennessee, United States

Site Status

University of Utah Health Sciences Center

Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Site Status

Evergreen Hospital

Kirkland, Washington, United States

Site Status

Swedish Medical Center

Seattle, Washington, United States

Site Status

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

United States

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Effect of corticosteroids for fetal maturation on perinatal outcomes. NIH Consens Statement. 1994 Feb 28-Mar 2;12(2):1-24.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 7728157 (View on PubMed)

Vermillion ST, Soper DE, Newman RB. Is betamethasone effective longer than 7 days after treatment? Obstet Gynecol. 2001 Apr;97(4):491-3. doi: 10.1016/s0029-7844(00)01178-9.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 11275015 (View on PubMed)

Antenatal corticosteroids revisited: repeat courses. NIH Consens Statement. 2000 Aug 17-18;17(2):1-18.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 11725806 (View on PubMed)

Guinn DA, Atkinson MW, Sullivan L, Lee M, MacGregor S, Parilla BV, Davies J, Hanlon-Lundberg K, Simpson L, Stone J, Wing D, Ogasawara K, Muraskas J. Single vs weekly courses of antenatal corticosteroids for women at risk of preterm delivery: A randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2001 Oct 3;286(13):1581-7. doi: 10.1001/jama.286.13.1581.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 11585480 (View on PubMed)

Caughey AB, Parer JT. Recommendations for repeat courses of antenatal corticosteroids: a decision analysis. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2002 Jun;186(6):1221-6; discussion 1226-9. doi: 10.1067/mob.2002.123742.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 12066102 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

OBX0001

Identifier Type: OTHER

Identifier Source: secondary_id

OBX0001

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.

Dexamethasone and Induction of Delivery
NCT03658590 COMPLETED PHASE1