eLetters to:

ELECTRONIC ARTICLE: Arianne B. Dessens, Hetty Smolders-de Haas, and Janna G. Koppe Twenty-Year Follow-Up of Antenatal Corticosteroid Treatment Pediatrics 2000; 105: e77 [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]

eLetters: Submit a response to this article

eLetters published:

Long needed relief for "Rural" Paediatricians!

R Kishore Kumar   (14 June 2000)

Long needed relief for "Rural" Paediatricians! 14 June 2000
R Kishore Kumar, Consultant Paediatrician and Lecturer in Paediatrics University of Tasmania Send letter to journal: Re: Long needed relief for "Rural" Paediatricians! R.Kumar{at}utas.edu.au R Kishore Kumar	Dear Editor I read this article with interest. We as "rural paediatricians" are always faced with the situations where pregnant women present with threatened labour at various gestations - though the evidence for the benefit of corticosteroids are well known for premature babies, certain situations like in a 34 or 35 weeker, we land up giving corticosteroids again as their chances of developing RDS will be much less with these and even if they do develop it won't be severe enough - most parents/midwives are faced with the dilemma as there was a plausible theory that these infants could be developing hypertension in later life. So, one has to ask the question - is it really necessary and how beneficial is the corticosteroid in these sort of situtations like 34 weeker with PET etc. I think this article gives us a great relief that we can safely use corticosteroids whenever we are faced with the odd situations so as to reduce the morbidity of these babies if they were to deliver in "rural" areas. I must really congratulate the authors of the study for such an excellent study. With personal regards Kishore Kumar Dr. R. Kishore Kumar MBBS,DCH(London),MD(Paed),MRCP(Paed),FRCPI,FRACP Consultant Paediatrician and Lecturer in Paediatrics & Child Health North West Regional Hospital and University of Tasmania PO Box 258 Burnie TAS 7320 Australia. E-mail: R.Kumar@utas.edu.au