This is an automatically translated article.
The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor II Nguyen Thi Minh Tuyet - Head of Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Vinmec Central Park International General HospitalLung maturation drugs are used in the case of pregnant women with signs of threat of preterm birth or at high risk of premature birth to avoid the risk of respiratory failure in the newborn due to immature lungs. So should I inject drugs to support fetal lungs during pregnancy?
1. What is a lung maturation drug?
Lung maturation injection is used to promote lung maturation in fetuses at risk of premature birth, reducing the risk of babies being born with acute respiratory syndrome due to immature lungs. In addition, lung maturation drugs also help reduce systemic infections, cerebral hemorrhage, enteritis, ... thereby helping to reduce the risk of infant mortality.
Two commonly used lung maturation drugs today are Dexamethasone and Betamethasone. These are two corticosteroids that have been extensively studied for their use in promoting fetal organ maturation. After a pregnant woman is injected with a lung support drug, the drug will be transmitted to the fetus and affect the baby's lungs, stimulating the baby's lungs to produce surfactant. Surfactant helps to reduce the surface tension of alveolar fluid and counteract the elastic force of the lungs. Lack of surfactant increases the risk of atelectasis and acute respiratory failure. In addition, lung maturation drugs help stimulate lung volume expansion while reducing the amount of fluid in the lungs.
Thuốc trưởng thành phổi được sử dụng để thúc đẩy trưởng thành phổi ở thai nhi có nguy cơ sinh non
2. Should I inject drugs to support fetal lung during pregnancy?
2.1. In which case is the injection of fetal lung support drug during pregnancy? Fetal lung support injection during pregnancy is necessary in cases where the pregnant woman has signs of threatened preterm birth or is at high risk of preterm birth. Premature birth is a condition in which a baby is born alive from 22 weeks to before 37 weeks. Premature birth is divided into the following groups:
Extremely preterm birth when gestational age is less than 28 weeks Very preterm birth when gestational age is 28-32 weeks Moderate preterm birth when gestational age is 32 to less than 37 weeks When being born prematurely, the muscles The internal organs of the child are immature, especially the lungs are not yet functional enough for gas exchange, causing respiratory failure.
Signs of preterm labor of pregnant women are:
Painful uterine contractions appear frequently, at least 2 contractions in 1 hour. The vagina may bleed or appear pinkish mucus. When the doctor examined, ultrasound detected a change in the cervix. Pregnant women at high risk of preterm birth are those with congenital uterine malformations, short cervix, cleft cervix, people with diseases such as uterine fibroids, vaginal infections, urinary tract infections. or have a history of cervical incision, a history of premature birth,... In addition, the fetuses after in vitro fertilization, fetal growth retardation, multiple pregnancies, amniotic fluid leakage, rupture of membranes,... are also at risk. premature birth.
After the examination, if the pregnant woman is assessed to be at risk of preterm birth, the doctor will prescribe injections to mature the fetal lungs. The drug is given to pregnant women at 24-34 weeks of pregnancy. If the pregnant woman has not given birth for 7 days and is still at risk of preterm birth in the next 7 days, the doctor will give a booster shot.
Thời điểm thích hợp nhất để tiêm thuốc là vào tuần thứ 24-34 của thai kỳ
Dosage is used as follows
Betamethasone: 12mg/dose intramuscularly, 2 doses, 24 hours apart. Dexamethasone: IM 6mg/dose, 4 doses, 12 hours apart. Routine lung maturation injections or more than 2 injections are not recommended. If the fetus is after 34 weeks, it is not necessary to have an injection because the lung maturation drug is no longer effective.
2.2. Should fetal lung support injections when there is no risk of premature birth? Injecting fetal lung support drugs during a normal pregnancy, without the risk of premature birth is unnecessary because the baby is born at full term, the internal organs are mature enough to adapt to the outside life when being born. On the other hand, the side effects of fetal lung support drugs also pose a risk of harm to the health of the mother and the fetus. Studies have shown that corticosteroid injections can affect the brain, the function of the fetal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and at the same time increase the risk of infection and inhibit the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. maternal adrenal gland. Reactions of anaphylaxis, hypersensitivity, and hypotension can also occur to the mother when injecting fetal lung support drugs.
Although there may be some unwanted side effects, when prescribed by a doctor, pregnant women should do it to ensure the best health for mother and fetus.
Thai phụ nên thực hiện theo chỉ định của bác sĩ để đảm bảo sức khỏe cho cả mẹ và bé
If you have a history of preterm birth or have signs of premature birth, you should perform regular antenatal check-ups, and choose all-inclusive maternity care methods so that the doctor can understand the whole pregnancy. medical history and have directions to monitor, treat and limit diseases affecting the health of mother and fetus.
To protect the health of pregnant women and their babies during pregnancy, Vinmec International General Hospital provides a package of maternity services as a solution to help pregnant women feel secure because of the companionship of the medical team. doctor throughout pregnancy. When choosing Maternity Package, pregnant women can:
The pregnancy process is monitored by a team of highly qualified doctors Regular check-ups, early detection of abnormalities The Package Maternity package helps to facilitate convenient for the birthing process Newborns get comprehensive care
