Primary and secondary outcomes
| Dextrose (n=84) n (%)* | Placebo (n=85) n (%)* | OR (95% CI)† | P value† | |
| Primary outcome | ||||
| Admission hypoglycaemia (<1.8 mmol/L) | 24 (29) | 25 (29) | 0.95 (0.49 to 1.86) | 0.88 |
| Secondary outcomes | ||||
| Admission hypoglycaemia (<2.6 mmol/L) | 47 (56) | 42 (49) | 1.36 (0.71 to 2.59) | 0.35 |
| Further hypoglycaemia (<1.8 mmol/L)‡ | 5 (6) | 4 (5) | 1.23 (0.31 to 4.85) | 0.77 |
| Hypoglycaemia (<2.6 mmol/L)‡ | 1.22 (0.86 to 1.75) | 0.27§¶ | ||
| None | 36 | 42 | ||
| 1 | 33 | 36 | ||
| 2 | 12 | 4 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 5 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Hyperglycaemia (>10.0 mmol/L)‡ | 5 (6) | 6 (7) | 0.60 (0.00 to 246) | 0.87 |
| Received intravenous dextrose bolus‡ | 17 (20) | 19 (22) | 0.86 (0.37 to 1.96) | 0.71 |
| Death (<12 postnatal hours) | 0 (0) | 1 (1) | 0.00 (0.00 to ∞) | 0.99 |
| Death before discharge | 7 (8) | 7 (8) | 0.91 (0.26 to 3.20) | 0.88 |
| Early onset sepsis/meningitis | 2 (2) | 4 (5) | 0.45 (0.08 to 2.68) | 0.38 |
| IVH**†† | 0.41 (0.17 to 0.96) | 0.04§ | ||
| None | 72 | 65 | ||
| Grade 1 | 7 | 13 | ||
| Grade 2 | 3 | 1 | ||
| Grade 3 | 0 | 2 | ||
| Grade 4 | 1 | 3 | ||
| NEC‡‡§§ | 1 (1) | 3 (4) | 0.27 (0.00 to 96,451) | 0.84 |
| FIP‡‡§§ | 2 (2) | 2 (2) | 1.02 (0.13 to 8.08) | 0.98 |
| ROP‡‡ | 3 (4) | 2 (2) | 1.53 (0.00 to ∞) | 0.99 |
| PVL‡‡§§ | 2 (2) | 1 (1) | 1.94 (0.003 to 1182) | 0.93 |
*Unless otherwise stated.
†From logistic mixed-effects regression analysis unless otherwise stated.
‡Within the first 24 postnatal hours.
§Poisson mixed-effects regression analysis.
¶No cases of symptomatic hypoglycaemia were documented.
**Highest grade of IVH from any cranial ultrasound up to postnatal day 28.
††84 in the placebo and 83 in the dextrose group.
‡‡83 in the placebo and 82 in the dextrose group.
§§Vermont Oxford Network definition of variables.
FIP, focal intestinal perforation; IVH, intraventricular haemorrhage; NEC, necrotising enterocolitis; PVL, cystic periventricular leucomalacia; ROP, retinopathy of prematurity.