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Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an established respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) prophylaxis programme by assessing RSV-related hospitalisations (RSVH) and identify associated risk factors among preterm infants born at <32 weeks’ gestation. Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman. Eligible participants were preterm infants <32 weeks’ gestation, born between January 2015 and December 2020, who received RSV prophylaxis. Data were extracted from electronic medical records and analysed. Results: A total of 282 infants were included. The mean gestational age was 28.56 ± 2.03 weeks and the mean birth weight was 1.23 ± 0.35 kg. A total of 5 infants (1.8%) experienced RSV-related hospitalisation while receiving palivizumab prophylaxis. Infants with RSVH were significantly more likely to be born at <28 weeks’ gestation than those who had not had a RSVH (60% versus 26.7%; P = 0.033). The rate of bronchopulmonary dysplasia was significantly higher in RSVH infants compared to those without RSVH (60% versus 14.1%; P = 0.026). Conclusion: The RSV prophylaxis programme demonstrated effectiveness, with a low RSVH rate among high-risk preterm infants. Extreme prematurity and bronchopulmonary dysplasia are the most significant risk factors for RSVH. Despite being a single-centre retrospective study, this is the first evaluation of RSV immunoprophylaxis in Oman and supports the case for a nationwide programme targeting high-risk infants.

Publication Date

1-16-2026

First Page

45

Last Page

50

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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