{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,11]],"date-time":"2026-08-11T04:29:03Z","timestamp":1786422543540,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":10,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,8]],"date-time":"2026-07-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1783468800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,8]],"date-time":"2026-07-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1783468800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"funder":[{"name":"Universit\u00e9 Catholique de Lille"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["link.springer.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Eur J Pediatr"],"abstract":"Abstract<\/jats:title>\n \n Over the past decade, new evidence has emerged regarding postnatal corticosteroids use in extremely preterm infants, particularly early prophylactic hydrocortisone. In France, national recommendations published in 2010 address late postnatal corticosteroids use only and do not incorporate the most evidence-based data. We aimed to provide a national overview of prescribing practices in French neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), focusing on prophylactic hydrocortisone. A national survey was conducted between 1 June and 13 August 2024 among all 66 French level III NICUs using a structured online questionnaire. One response per center was gathered. Fifty-five of 66 (83%) NICUs responded. Prophylactic hydrocortisone was used in 33 (60%) centers: 16 (29%) systematically and 17 (31%) selectively. Among users, 21 (64%) targeted the same population as the PREMILOC study. Non-users cited concerns about benefit\u2013risk balance, lack of evidence, and absence of national guidelines. Fear of neurodevelopmental risk was more frequent among non-users (9\/22 (41%) vs 1\/33 (3%),\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009<\u20090.001), while perceived spontaneous intestinal perforation risk did not differ.\n <\/jats:p>\n \n Conclusion<\/jats:italic>\n : Hydrocortisone use in French NICUs remain heterogeneous due to safety concerns and a possible uncertainty about the strength of evidence. These findings underscore the need for updated national guidelines to support harmonized, evidence-based care for ELGANs.\n <\/jats:p>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n What is Known:<\/jats:bold>\n \u2022\n Recent evidence supports prophylactic hydrocortisone to improve survival without bronchopulmonary dysplasia in extremely preterm infants<\/jats:italic>\n .\u2022\n French national recommendations (2010) address late corticosteroid use (beyond 3 weeks) and do not incorporate recent evidence-based data<\/jats:italic>\n .\n <\/jats:td>\n <\/jats:tr>\n \n \n What is New:<\/jats:bold>\n \u2022\n This national survey provides the first overview of hydrocortisone use in French NICUs, highlighting heterogeneity in prescribing practices<\/jats:italic>\n .\u2022\n It identifies discrepancies between evidence and clinical practice, supporting the need for updated guidelines<\/jats:italic>\n .\n <\/jats:td>\n <\/jats:tr>\n <\/jats:tbody>\n <\/jats:table>\n <\/jats:table-wrap>\n <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1007\/s00431-026-07234-5","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,8]],"date-time":"2026-07-08T14:22:12Z","timestamp":1783520532000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Hydrocortisone use in France: current practices in 2026"],"prefix":"10.1007","volume":"185","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1590-5166","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alexandra","family":"Nuytten","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Said","family":"Maallem","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marie","family":"Buttitta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marine","family":"Butin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cyril","family":"Flamant","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Olivier","family":"Baud","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"7234_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"Doyle LW, Cheong JL, Hay S, Manley BJ, Halliday HL (2021) Early (<7 days) systemic postnatal corticosteroids for prevention of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2021(10):CD001146. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/14651858.CD001146.pub6","DOI":"10.1002\/14651858.CD001146.pub6"},{"key":"7234_CR2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"Doyle LW, Cheong JL, Hay S, Manley BJ, Halliday HL (2021) Late (\u22657 days) systemic postnatal corticosteroids for prevention of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2021(11):CD001145. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/14651858.CD001145.pub5","DOI":"10.1002\/14651858.CD001145.pub5"},{"key":"7234_CR3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1480","DOI":"10.1016\/j.arcped.2010.07.013","volume":"17","author":"P-H Jarreau","year":"2010","unstructured":"Jarreau P-H, Fayon M, Baud O et al (2010) Utilisation de la corticoth\u00e9rapie postnatale chez le nouveau-n\u00e9 pr\u00e9matur\u00e9 dans la pr\u00e9vention et le traitement de la dysplasie bronchopulmonaire: \u00e9tat des lieux et conduite \u00e0 tenir. Arch Pediatr 17:1480\u20131487. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.arcped.2010.07.013","journal-title":"Arch Pediatr"},{"issue":"1","key":"7234_CR4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s00431-024-05840-9","volume":"184","author":"A Remy","year":"2024","unstructured":"Remy A, Vincent M, Pastor-Diez B, Picaud J-C (2024) Late postnatal steroid treatment using oral betamethasone can help to close ductus arteriosus in extremely preterm infants who cannot be weaned from ventilation. Eur J Pediatr 184(1):50. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s00431-024-05840-9","journal-title":"Eur J Pediatr"},{"issue":"4","key":"7234_CR5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"382","DOI":"10.1136\/archdischild-2024-327360","volume":"110","author":"L L\u00f6fberg","year":"2025","unstructured":"L\u00f6fberg L, Serenius F, Hellstrom-Westas L et al (2025) Postnatal betamethasone treatment in extremely preterm infants and risk of neurodevelopmental impairment: a cohort study. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 110(4):382\u2013387. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/archdischild-2024-327360","journal-title":"Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed"},{"issue":"10030","key":"7234_CR6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1827","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(16)00202-6","volume":"387","author":"O Baud","year":"2016","unstructured":"Baud O, Maury L, Lebail F et al (2016) Effect of early low-dose hydrocortisone on survival without bronchopulmonary dysplasia in extremely preterm infants (PREMILOC): a double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre, randomised trial. Lancet 387(10030):1827\u20131836. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/S0140-6736(16)00202-6","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"issue":"1","key":"7234_CR7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"F30","DOI":"10.1136\/archdischild-2017-313756","volume":"104","author":"O Baud","year":"2019","unstructured":"Baud O, Trousson C, Biran V et al (2019) Two-year neurodevelopmental outcomes of extremely preterm infants treated with early hydrocortisone: treatment effect according to gestational age at birth. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 104(1):F30\u2013F35. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/archdischild-2017-313756","journal-title":"Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed"},{"issue":"7","key":"7234_CR8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"926","DOI":"10.1111\/dmcn.15470","volume":"65","author":"C Trousson","year":"2023","unstructured":"Trousson C, Toumazi A, Bourmaud A et al (2023) Neurocognitive outcomes at age 5 years after prophylactic hydrocortisone in infants born extremely preterm. Dev Med Child Neurol 65(7):926\u2013932. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/dmcn.15470","journal-title":"Dev Med Child Neurol"},{"issue":"2","key":"7234_CR9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e2560146","DOI":"10.1001\/jamanetworkopen.2025.60146","volume":"9","author":"V Smedb\u00e4ck","year":"2026","unstructured":"Smedb\u00e4ck V, Bj\u00f6rklund LJ, Flisberg A et al (2026) Early prophylactic hydrocortisone and bronchopulmonary dysplasia-free survival in extremely preterm infants. JAMA Netw Open 9(2):e2560146. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1001\/jamanetworkopen.2025.60146","journal-title":"JAMA Netw Open"},{"key":"7234_CR10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"65","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jpeds.2020.12.057","volume":"234","author":"C Renolleau","year":"2021","unstructured":"Renolleau C, Toumazi A, Bourmaud A et al (2021) Association between baseline cortisol serum concentrations and the effect of prophylactic hydrocortisone in extremely preterm infants. J Pediatr 234:65-70.e3. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.jpeds.2020.12.057","journal-title":"J Pediatr"}],"container-title":["European Journal of Pediatrics"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/content\/pdf\/10.1007\/s00431-026-07234-5.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s00431-026-07234-5","content-type":"text\/html","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/content\/pdf\/10.1007\/s00431-026-07234-5.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,11]],"date-time":"2026-08-11T03:50:00Z","timestamp":1786420200000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/10.1007\/s00431-026-07234-5"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,8]]},"references-count":10,"journal-issue":{"issue":"8","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8]]}},"alternative-id":["7234"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s00431-026-07234-5","relation":{},"ISSN":["1432-1076"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1432-1076","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,8]]},"assertion":[{"value":"22 May 2026","order":1,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"value":"30 June 2026","order":2,"name":"revised","label":"Revised","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"value":"2 July 2026","order":3,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"value":"8 July 2026","order":4,"name":"first_online","label":"First Online","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"value":"The authors declare no competing interests.","order":1,"name":"Ethics","label":"Competing interests","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Declarations"}}],"article-number":"559"}}