of congenital malformations). Nevertheless, we included
these individuals in the intention-to-treat analysis.
Selected antenatal and intrapartum characteristics of
the study infants are presented in table 1. Infants in both
groups were similar for all demographic variables, as well
as for frequency of thick-consistency MSAF, caesarean
section, and presence of abnormal fetal heart rate.
Incidence of MAS was similar in both groups, as was
the need for mechanical ventilation, and the number of