Objective:To review the literature systematically to determine whether the use of Dex therapy in the first 15 days of life is beneficial for 12 specified outcomes in premature infants. Methods:A literature search in the English language was undertaken using the MEDLINE database system. Inclusion criteria were a prospective randomized trial design and Dex therapy started in the first 15 days of life. The overall baseline event rate(ER) in the control group and risk ratio (RR) with 95%CI were calculated. Results: Twelve peer-reviewed publications were included in the analysis. Because meta-analyses of pre and post surfactant therapy trials did not show significant differences the data from these trials were combined. Conclusion: CLD is decreased by 35% at 28 days and 52% at 36 weeks post conception (P<0.05). Gastrointestinal bleeding is increased by 114% in the Dex group (P<0.05). The decreases of 19% in death, 27% in PDA and the 22% increase in infection were not statistically significant, nor were any other changes. Table

Table 1 No caption available.
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