Evidence · Randomised trial
Enteral and Parenteral Treatment with Caffeine for Preterm Infants in the Delivery Room: A Randomised Trial.
- Apnoea of prematurity
- Delivery room and stabilisation
- Mechanical ventilation
- Medical
- Nursing
- Preterm stabilisation
- Respiratory
Summary
This randomised trial in preterm infants of 25 to 29 weeks' gestation compared intravenous (umbilical vein) and enteral (orogastric) caffeine citrate given in the delivery room within 10 minutes of birth. The primary endpoint was the feasibility of each route, with caffeine blood levels measured after the loading dose and before the next dose. Both routes were successfully performed without interfering with postnatal stabilisation, although some infants did not reach the therapeutic range. The authors raise questions about the optimal dose for preventing mechanical ventilation.
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- Open (Creative Commons)
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