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Betamimetic drugs in the prophylaxis of preterm labour: extent and rationale of their use
Author(s) -
KEIRSE M. J. N. C.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
bjog: an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.157
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1471-0528
pISSN - 1470-0328
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1984.tb04779.x
Subject(s) - medicine , intensive care medicine , etiology , preterm labour , prophylactic treatment , pediatrics , obstetrics , pregnancy , surgery , psychiatry , gestation , biology , genetics
summary A questionnaire survey among 1004 specialist and trainee obstetricians in The Netherlands and northern Belgium (Flanders), revealed that 45% of the 521 (52%) respondents would use prophylactic betamimetics to prevent preterm labour. A further 33% would only use them as maintenance therapy after an acute episode of preterm labour. Only 22% would use neither form of prophylaxis, 23% would not prescribe oral betamimetics for out‐patients, and a mere 12% would use neither prophylaxis nor out‐patient treatment. Nevertheless, only 4% of those using betamimetics either prophylactically or as maintenance therapy said that they were very effective. The data indicate that a large body of obstetricians will resort to dubious treatments with poor effectiveness and unknown risks in an attempt to avoid the known risks of a condition for which aetiological insight and effective therapy are lacking.