Respiratory outcomes of late preterm infants of mothers with early and late onset preeclampsia

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of early and late onset preeclampsia (EOPE, LOPE, respectively) on outcomes of late preterm infants. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study of late preterm infants admitted to a tertiary care NICU from January 2014–July 2015. Outcomes of late preterm infants of EOPE mothers were compared with the next late preterm infant of a LOPE mother and the next two late preterm infants of normotensive non-PE mothers. Primary outcome comprised use of continuous positive airway pressure, mechanical ventilation and/or surfactant in the 24 h after birth. RESULTS: Compared to normotensives (n = 131), adjusted odds ratio (AORs) of the primary outcome was higher in the EOPE (n = 64) and LOPE (n = 65) groups but reached statistical significance only in the EOPE group, AORs 12.9, 95% CI 3.5–37 and 2.7, 95% CI 0.95–8.1, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to late preterm infants of normotensive and LOPE mothers, infants of mothers with EOPE have significantly higher respiratory morbidity.