Does antenatal magnesium sulphate improve hearing function in premature newborns?

Area of Science:

• Neonatal care
• Neuroprotection
• Auditory health

Background:

• Premature newborns are at increased risk for hearing impairment.
• Antenatal exposure to magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) is investigated for potential neuroprotective effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the neuroprotective effect of antenatal magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) exposure against hearing impairment in premature newborns.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study comparing 92 premature newborns exposed to antenatal MgSO4 with 147 unexposed newborns.
• All infants underwent auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing for hearing screening before hospital discharge.

Main Results:

• The ABR hearing screening fail rate was 3.3% in the MgSO4 group versus 10.9% in the control group (p=0.034).
• Concurrent betamethasone use was higher in the MgSO4 group (72.8%) than the control group (29.2%).
• After adjusting for covariates, no statistically significant association was found between antenatal MgSO4 and ABR fail rates (p=0.07).

Conclusions:

• Antenatal magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) administration does not appear to offer a significant benefit in preventing hearing impairment in premature infants.
• Further research may be needed to explore other potential benefits or optimal use of MgSO4 in high-risk pregnancies.