Magnesium Sulfate to Prevent Cerebral Palsy

Women should be given magnesium sulfate at the time of delivery to obtain a blood level between 3.7 and 4.4mg/dL. This will optimize neuro-protection and prevent cerebral palsy in extremely preterm infants.A study was conducted in which 636 women received magnesium sulfate and 1269 recieved placebo.
"Women have traditionally received a standard dose of magnesium sulfate to prevent cerebral palsy in the extremely preterm fetus, but this study is the first to use pharmacokinetic modeling to suggest a therapeutic target maternal serum level we should aim for," said Dr. Kathleen Brookfield, lead author of the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology study.
 "The dose of magnesium sulfate can now be tailored depending on maternal factors and the clinical situation to achieve this target."
‘Magnesium sulfate is indicated for neuroprotection of preterm fetuses; however, the optimal dosing schedule to prevent cerebral palsy is not known’
 An intravenous 4 g loading dose over 20–30 minutes should be given followed by a 1 g/hr maintenance regime to continue for 24hours or until birth, whichever occurred soonest.However, there are insufficient data to define aminimum effective dose of magnesium sulphate.