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Updated: Aug 28, 2026
A Murine Model of Fetal Exposure to Maternal Inflammation to Study the Effects of Acute Chorioamnionitis on Newborn Intestinal Development
Published on: June 24, 2020
The Impact of Histopathological Foetal Inflammatory Response Syndrome on Acute Neonatal Outcomes: A Multisite Cohort
Daniel O Apos Reilly1,2, Sharon Dempsey3, Lauren Murphy3
1Department of Neonatology, Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, Ireland, daniel.oreilly2@ucdconnect.ie.
Intro:
Foetal inflammatory response syndrome (FIRS) has previously been associated with poor acute outcomes in preterm neonates but has been defined inconsistently. In this large retrospective cohort study, we sought to examine the impact of histopathological FIRS on acute clinical outcomes in very preterm neonates.
Methods:
This was a two-site cohort study based in tertiary maternity units in Dublin, Ireland. Admitted neonates with placental histology and without congenital anomalies <32 weeks-corrected gestational age born between 2018 and 2022 (n = 955) were assessed for exposure to Amsterdam consensus guideline-defined FIRS and consequent acute neonatal outcomes by both univariate and multivariate methods.
Results:
While univariate analysis showed an increased incidence of death and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), multivariate analysis adjusting for gestational age and birth weight demonstrated that very preterm neonates exposed to histopathological FIRS are at a lower risk of BPD, composite death or BPD, and respiratory distress syndrome requiring surfactant. Neonates exposed to FIRS were born earlier and smaller than their peers who were not, and when adjusting for gestational age there was no increase in odds of severe intraventricular haemorrhage, days of mechanical ventilation, or diagnosis of sepsis.
Conclusions:
Very preterm neonates exposed to FIRS are at lower risk of developing death or BPD and requiring surfactant when adjusting for age and birth weight. No other acute outcomes were statistically significantly different.
