Congenital Pneumonia and Maternal Cancer as Key Predictors of Surfactant Need in Late Preterm Infants
29 Jul 2025 • Among 1,335 late preterm (LPT) births, 7.8% developed respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and 3.4% required surfactant therapy.
Key Findings:
- Key predictors for surfactant use included lower gestational age (OR 0.541), low 1‑minute Apgar scores (OR 0.631), and congenital pneumonia—a powerful risk factor (OR 28.9).
- Maternal oncological disease also raised the risk over fourfold (OR 4.1).
These findings highlight the need for close monitoring of LPT infants, especially those with congenital pneumonia or a maternal cancer history, to anticipate severe RDS beyond conventional risk markers.
Source: Wiley Online Library | Read Full Story