Serum Cortisol Levels of Well, Ill and Preterm Infants treated with Catecholamines < 30 Weeks of Gestational Age † 1528

The purpose of this study was to compare random serum cortisol (F) levels in the first two weeks of life of well (A) and ill preterm infants < 30 weeks of gestational age with (B) and without (C) arterial hypotension.Methods: Group A: The following exclusion criteria were valid during 48 hours before and 24 hours after withdrawing the blood sample: surfactant administration, arterial hypotension, acute or uncontrolled infection, ventricular hemorrhage > II°, blood glucose < 40 mg/dl, exchange transfusion, stress by any kind of examination or nursing 4 hours before blood sampling. Inclusion criteria Group B: arterial hypotension with infusion of dopamine (> 5 μg/kg/min) and/or epinephrine and group C: no arterial hypotension, sick (infection a.o.). One F per infant was measured by radio immuno assay. Figure

Figure 1

Results: No significant difference were found in F values between group A and B (p = 0.69) and A and C (p = 0.14). 6/17 infants of group B had F values > 30 μg/dl. Conclusion: There is a high incidence of cortisol insufficiency in sick preterm infants < 30 weeks of gestational age. Only 35% of sick infants on inotropic support have cortisol levels adequate to the degree of illness. Table

Table 1 No caption available.