Australian Research Centre for Health of Women and Babies

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ARCH
Discipline of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
The University of Adelaide

Women's and Children's Hospital
King William Road
North Adelaide SA 5006
AUSTRALIA
Email

Phone: +61 8 8161 7619
Facsimile: +61 8 8161 7652

ACTORDS: Australasian Collaborative Trial Of Repeat Doses Of Prenatal Steroids to women at risk of preterm birth to reduce neonatal morbidity

This trial has completed recruitment. Follow up of the children to 2 years corrected age is complete. Follow up of the children at early school age is now underway.

Infants born preterm are at high risk of neonatal lung disease and its sequelae. Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), as a consequence of immature lung development, is the principal cause of early mortality and contributes significantly to the high costs of neonatal intensive care. A single course of antenatal corticosteroids reduces the risk of RDS from 40% to 21% in babies born before 32 weeks gestation. Thus, even though prenatal corticosteroids remain the most effective known strategy for reducing the adverse consequences of preterm birth there is still significant neonatal morbidity despite postnatal intensive care and exogenous surfactant.

This trial aims to determine the efficacy or otherwise of repeat doses of prenatal corticosteroids to women who remain at risk of preterm birth more than 7 days after an initial corticosteroid course. If effective, repeat doses of prenatal corticosteroids would be a relatively simple and inexpensive way to improve the health of preterm infants, yield substantial cost savings for neonatal care and provide evidence to guide clinical practice.

Chief Investigators:	Prof Caroline Crowther, A/Prof Ross Haslam, Prof Janet Hiller, Prof Lex Doyle, Prof Jeffrey Robinson,
Clinical Trial Coordinator:	Ms Pat Ashwood
Email:	actords@adelaide.edu.au
Phone: Fax:	61 8 8161 7767 61 8 8161 7652
Address:	ARCH Discipline of Obstetrics and Gynaecology The University of Adelaide Women's and Children's Hospital King William Road North Adelaide South Australia 5006

References:

Crowther CA, Haslam RR, Hiller JE, Doyle LW, Robinson JS for the ACTORDS Study Group. Neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome after repeat exposure to antenatal corticosteroids. Lancet. 2006. (Article)

Montan, Sven; Arulkumaran, Sabaratnam. Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome. (Comment)Lancet. 2006, Vol. 367 Issue 9526, p1878-1879. (Comment)

C.A. Crowther, R.R. Haslam, J.E. Hiller, L.W. Doyle, J.S. Robinson. Neonatal respiratory distress after antenatal corticosteroids. (Correspondence)(Letter to the editor) The Lancet Sept 23, 2006 v368 i9541 p1065 (Letter)

Crowther CA, Doyle LW, Haslam RR, Hiller JE, Harding JE, Robinson JS for the ACTORDS Study Group. Outcomes at 2 Years of Age after Repeat Doses of Antenatal Corticosteroids. N Engl Med 2007;357:1190-1198. (IF: 51.296)