Antenatal Betamethasone Compared to Dexamethasone - "BETACODE TRIAL"

Summary

Antenatal corticosteroids result in substantial decrease in neonatal morbidity and mortality by specifically reducing the risk of respiratory distress syndrome, intraventricular hemorrhage and neonatal death among premature infants. No human randomized study has formally compared betamethasone and dexamethasone, the preferred corticosteroids for antenatal therapy, with regards to their effectiveness in reducing neonatal morbidities and mortality. Our objective was to compare betamethasone with dexamethasone in terms of effectiveness in reducing perinatal morbidities and mortality among preterm infants.

Timeline

Start

2002-08

Primary completion

—

Completion

2005-04

Publications

• Elimian A, Garry D, Figueroa R, Spitzer A, Wiencek V, Quirk JG. Antenatal betamethasone compared with dexamethasone (betacode trial): a randomized controlled trial. Obstet Gynecol. 2007 Jul;110(1):26-30. doi: 10.1097/01.AOG.0000268281.36788.81.

Drugs

Indications