Objective: To evaluate the effect of Dexamethasone on the daily foetal movement count and whether this affects haemodynamics. Study Design: This is a cohort study involving pregnant women with a history of preterm labour, to follow up their daily foetal movement count for 5 days. Meanwhile, the non-stress test, middle cerebral and umbilical arteries Doppler indices were recorded before and after taking a designated Dexamethasone course. Each woman’s data was considered as her control. Patients and Methods: A total of 50 women with low risk, except a history of previous 1 or more preterm labour, were assigned to receive four separate injections of 6 mg Dexamethasone, each given 12 hours apart. Doppler studies and cardiotocography traces were done before and after administration. Foetal movements were counted by mothers using Sadovsky method since the first dose and 5 days later. Paired T, McNemar’s and Pearson’s correlation coefficient tests were used. Results: There were decrease in the MCA PI and RI (PI p <0.001, RI p = 0.002), increase in foetal heart rate short term variability (p = 0.016) and decrease in the foetal movement count on Day 2 (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Dexamethasone therapy affects the heart rate, haemodynamics and decreases daily foetal movement count.
Wahby, Y., Raslan, A., El Ghazaly, H., & El Kateb, A. (2017). Effects of Maternal Dexamethasone Administration on Daily Foetal Movement Count and its Correlation with Doppler Studies and Non-Stress Test. Evidence Based Women's Health Journal, 7(1), 15-21. doi: 10.21608/ebwhj.2017.3220
MLA
Youssef Mohamed Wahby; Ayman Nour Raslan; Hesham Mohamed El Ghazaly; Abdallah Yehia El Kateb. "Effects of Maternal Dexamethasone Administration on Daily Foetal Movement Count and its Correlation with Doppler Studies and Non-Stress Test". Evidence Based Women's Health Journal, 7, 1, 2017, 15-21. doi: 10.21608/ebwhj.2017.3220
HARVARD
Wahby, Y., Raslan, A., El Ghazaly, H., El Kateb, A. (2017). 'Effects of Maternal Dexamethasone Administration on Daily Foetal Movement Count and its Correlation with Doppler Studies and Non-Stress Test', Evidence Based Women's Health Journal, 7(1), pp. 15-21. doi: 10.21608/ebwhj.2017.3220
VANCOUVER
Wahby, Y., Raslan, A., El Ghazaly, H., El Kateb, A. Effects of Maternal Dexamethasone Administration on Daily Foetal Movement Count and its Correlation with Doppler Studies and Non-Stress Test. Evidence Based Women's Health Journal, 2017; 7(1): 15-21. doi: 10.21608/ebwhj.2017.3220