THURSDAY, Feb. 8 (HealthDay News) -- In women in preterm labor, transdermal nitroglycerin may reduce neonatal morbidity and mortality by reducing the risk of birth before 28 weeks, according to the results of a study in the January issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Graeme N. Smith, M.D., Ph.D., from Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, and colleagues examined neonatal outcomes in 153 women who presented in preterm labor at 24 to 32 weeks' gestation, who were randomized to transdermal placebo or nitroglycerin patches.
The researchers found that infants born to women receiving nitroglycerin had reduced risk of a composite outcome including chronic lung disease, intraventricular hemorrhage and other conditions, as well as mortality (relative risk 0.29) due to fewer births before 28 weeks (relative risk, 0.50). However, nitroglycerin increased the risk of maternal side effects (relative risk 1.41).
"Transdermal nitroglycerin may reduce neonatal morbidity and mortality as a result of decreased risk of birth before 28 weeks," Smith and colleagues conclude.
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