Antenatal glucocorticoid administration: effects on oxygen-hemoglobin affinity and hemoglobin levels in experimental hyaline membrane disease.
Dexamethasone or saline was administered in a randomized fashion to pregnant Macaca nemestrina for 3 days prior to preterm abdominal delivery. The steroid-treated animals demonstrated a greater hemoglobin concentration and a greater mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration in cord blood. There was no difference between the groups in mean P50 in cord blood. The infants of steroid-treated animals had less frequent and less severe hyaline membrane disease. We conclude that antenatal steroid administration ameliorates postnatal respiratory distress without inducing changes in P50 and with only a small change induced in cord blood hemoglobin.
D000818:Animals; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D004909:Erythrocyte Indices; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006452:Hemoglobinometry; D006801:Humans; D006819:Hyaline Membrane Disease / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008254:Macaca nemestrina; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D011247:Pregnancy; D011897:Random Allocation
D005938:Glucocorticoids; C004180:dexamethasone 21-phosphate; D003907:Dexamethasone