Controlled Trial of Dexamethasone in Respirator-Dependent Infants with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

A randomized trial was conducted of dexamethasone therapy in infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia who were dependent on respirators and were not progressing clinically despite conventional treatment. Babies were admitted to the study if they had a roentgenogram and clinical diagnosis of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, were 2 to 6 weeks in age, weighed <1,500 g, had made no progress in weaning for the preceding five days, and were free of sepsis, patent ductus arteriosus, and congenital heart disease, and had had no intravenous fat for at least 24 hours. After parental consent was obtained, infants were randomly assigned to control or treatment groups. The study hypothesis was that with steroid treatment, babies could be weaned from the respirator within 72 hours and would show a significant improvement in lung compliance within that time. Sequential analysis exceeded criterion (P < .05) when seven consecutive untied pairs showed weaning with dexamethasone and failure to wean in control infants. Pulmonary compliance improved by 64% in the treated group and 5% in the control group (P < .01). No significant intergroup differences were noted in mortality, length of hospital stay, sepsis, hypertension, hyperglycemia, or electrolyte abnormalities. Study design permits the conclusion that dexamethasone can produce substantial short-term improvement in lung function, often permitting rapid weaning from the respirator, but long-term efficacy and safety must be demonstrated by further investigations.