Neonatal complications following in utero exposure to intravenous ritodrine

Absence of cardiovascular effects on young adults exposed in utero to ritodrine: a long-term follow-up

OBJECTIVE

To determine, using echocardiographs, if young adults exposed in uterus to Ritodrine have long-term cardiovascular effects.

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective follow-up study. Young adults between the ages of 22- and 26-years-old. Young adults (n=19) exposed in uterus to Ritodrine and age-matched controls (n=27) were studied by means of transthoracic echocardiography. All participants were born following full-term pregnancies. Subgroups of those subjects exposed to the highest dose of Ritodrine and for the longest period of time were established. A multivariate descriptive statistical analysis of the values obtained using transthoracic echocardiography was performed. Echocardiography measurements in M-mode included intraventricular septum and posterior wall thickness, systolic and diastolic diameter of the left ventricle, septum/wall quotient, left ventricle mass and short and ejection fractions. Doppler pressed: E and A peaks in the mitral valve and isovolumetric relaxation time were determined.

RESULTS

The mass, posterior wall, systolic diameter and the diastolic diameter of the left ventricle were slightly, but not significantly, higher in the Ritodrine group. The E/A peak and the isovolumetric relaxation time were similar in both groups. A negative correlation between the left ventricle mass index and the total Ritodrine dose (r=-0.67; p=0.051) was found; this disappeared in the subgroups exposed to higher doses and for longer times.

CONCLUSIONS

The variables studied using echocardiography showed that in uterus exposure to Ritodrine do not have long-term effects on cardiac functionality in young adults.