[Prenatal treatment with magnesium sulphate: Initial clinical outcomes in pre-term infants less than 29 weeks and correlation with neonatal magnesium levels].

INTRODUCTION: Antenatal magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) administration has shown to be effective in minimising cerebral palsy and severe motor dysfunction at the age of 2 years. The aim of this study is to analyse the initial clinical outcome of preterm neonates less than 29 weeks who have received prenatal MgSO4 , as well as to determine the relationship between the magnesium dose delivered to the mother and the magnesium concentration in the neonates.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted on neonates of less than 29 weeks gestation admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Hospital Universitario de Vigo from December 2012 to July 2015. Comparative analysis was performed on the perinatal outcomes, neonatal morbidity, mortality, and magnesium levels between the groups of neonates exposed to magnesium sulphate and the control group.

RESULTS: A total of 42 neonates were included in the study. The mothers of 28 of them had received MgSO4 as a neuroprotective agent. Statistical significance was obtained in the mortality variable. There were no significant differences in the rest of studied variables. There was a significant correlation between the full dose of MgSO4 received by the mother and the levels of magnesium in the neonate in the first 24hours of life (r2 0.436; P<.001).

CONCLUSIONS: A lower mortality was observed in the group that had been exposed to MgS04. No significant side effects were found as a result of administering of MgS04. The MgS04 dose received by mother has a linear relationship with the magnesium levels obtained in neonates.