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Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Assessing the real-world effects of prophylactic hydrocortisone in the Canadian Neonatal Network: A cohort study
Marisa de Souza1,2,3, Marc Beltempo4, Bernard Thébaud1,2,3
1University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Objective:
To evaluate the effects of prophylactic hydrocortisone (pHCT) on the odds of death or moderate to severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in preterm neonates.
Study Design:
Multi-center retrospective cohort study of infants born <28 weeks in the Canadian Neonatal Network 2019-2023 who received pHCT with 1:1 propensity score-matched controls. Hierarchical composite endpoints were explored using win odds analyses.
Results:
There were 361 infants per group with balanced baseline characteristics. There were no differences in the odds of death or moderate to severe BPD (pHCT 259/361 [71.8%] vs. control 264/361 [73.1%], OR 0.92, 95% CI [0.68, 1.24]). Win odds (95% CI) were not different: 1.02 (0.85, 1.28). There was lower use of systemic postnatal steroids and treatment of patent ductus arteriosus in the pHCT group; no significant differences in other safety outcomes were observed.
Conclusions:
pHCT was not associated with reductions in mortality nor moderate to severe BPD.
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