Clinical details of babies enrolled in the trial
| Long group | Pulse group | |
|---|---|---|
| Values shown are mean (SEM) (range) or number (%) for 37 babies in the long and 39 in the pulse group. Long group, babies receiving a 42 day reducing course of dexamethasone; pulse group, babies receiving a three day pulsed course of dexamethasone. | ||
| *p=0.05 compared with long group. | ||
| Birth weight (g) | 793 (28) (560–1305) | 776 (25) (440–1170) |
| Gestational age (weeks) | 25.8 (0.3) (23.6–30.0) | 25.8 (0.3) (23.0–31.0) |
| Antenatal steroids given | 27 (73%) | 37 (95%)* |
| Male | 23 (62%) | 24 (62%) |
| Small for gestational age (birth weight <10th centile) | 8 (22%) | 8 (21%) |
| Mean airway pressure at enrolment (cm H2O) | 7.8 (0.3) | 8.0 (0.3) |
| Fio2 at enrolment | 0.30 (0.01) | 0.30 (0.02) |
| Grade 3 or 4 intraventricular haemorrhage | 2 (5%) | 4 (10%) |