MEDizzy - A nurse is caring for a 26-week-pregnant client who has been

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Neonatal and High-Risk Neonatal Management

A nurse is caring for a 26-week-pregnant client who has been admitted twice in the past week for preterm labor. A physician orders corticosteroid therapy as a means to assist with fetal lung maturation. The nurse should anticipate that the medication and dosage to be ordered should be:

ExplanationBetamethasone 12 mg IM every 24 hours for 2 doses is the recommended dosage for women between 24 and 34 weeks. Betamethasone is also associated with a decreased incidence of intraventricular brain hemorrhage in preterm infants. Betamethasone has been more widely studied and is preferred due to a reduced risk of fetal distress syndrome as compared with dexamethasone. Methylprednisolone has been shown to have altered placental transfer. It is a Category C medication, and may have teratogenic effects. It would not be prescribed.