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Association of in utero magnesium exposure and spontaneous intestinal perforations in extremely low birth weight infants

Subjects

Abstract

Objective:

The objective of this study is to determine whether antenatal exposure to magnesium is associated with spontaneous intestinal perforation (SIP) in extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants (1000 g).

Study Design:

We identified all ELBW infants admitted to 1 of 323 neonatal intensive care units from 2007 to 2013. We used multivariable conditional logistic regression to compare outcomes in the first 21 days after birth between infants exposed and unexposed to magnesium in utero.

Results:

Of the 28 035 infants, 11 789 (42%) were exposed to antenatal magnesium (AM). There was no difference in the risk of SIP, odds ratio=1.08 (95% confidence interval; 0.91 to 1.29), between infants exposed and unexposed to AM. Mortality in the first 21 days after birth was lower in the magnesium-exposed infants, odds ratio=0.76 (0.70 to 0.83).

Conclusion:

AM exposure in ELBW infants was not associated with increased risk of SIP.

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Acknowledgements

Sponsors had no involvement in the study design, the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, the writing of the report, nor the decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

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Correspondence to P B Smith.

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Competing interests

CPH receives salary support for research from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (UL1TR001117). ML is supported by the US government for his work in pediatric and neonatal clinical pharmacology (HHSN267200700051C (Principal Investigator: Benjamin)), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (K23 HD068497) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R34 HL124038). PBS receives salary support for research from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the NIH (1R21HD080606-01A1 and UL1TR001117), the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HHSN275201000003I and 1R01-HD081044-01) and the Food and Drug Administration (1R18-FD005292-01); he also receives research support from Cempra Pharmaceuticals (subaward to HHS0100201300009C) and industry for neonatal and pediatric drug development (www.dcri.duke.edu/research/coi.jsp). All other authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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Downey, L., Cotten, C., Hornik, C. et al. Association of in utero magnesium exposure and spontaneous intestinal perforations in extremely low birth weight infants. J Perinatol 37, 641–644 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2016.274

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