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Intravenous magnesium sulfate given to mothers before preterm delivery greatly lowers risk for cerebral palsy in their offspring, but evaluation of its use outside clinical trials has been limited. In February 2008, Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island implemented guidelines for use of magnesium sulfate in women anticipated to give birth at <32 weeks' gestation. Investigators sought to determine how the use of magnesium sulfate for cerebral palsy prevention changed between 4 months before and 3 years after guideline implementation.
During the study period, 373 pregnancies met inclusion criteria. During the 4 months preceding guideline implementation, 20% of eligible women received magnesium sulfate before delivery. In the final 2 months …