A. Why was this study conducted? To identify factors associated with appropriate administration of magnesium sulfate for fetal neuroprotection prior to early preterm birth. B. What are the key findings: Neuroprotection with Magnesium sulfate was administered in 83.1% of eligible cases. Most omissions occurred in patients who delivered within the first 2 hours of admission or required urgent delivery due to acute fetal compromise. Admission for abnormal fetal status or for non-obstetric indications were independent factors associated with non-administration. Lack of adherence to protocol was uncommon (~3% of the total cohort). C. What does this study add to what is already known? Non-administration of magnesium sulfate for neuroprotection reflects short time interval or urgent clinical circumstances preventing administration rather than lack of adherence to protocol.Identifying these scenarios can guide workflow improvements to ensure timely neuroprotection before preterm birth < 32 weeks' gestation.
Hendin et al. (Sun,) studied this question.