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Effects of Caffeine


But, to find it has value in our neonatal units to decrease apnea in preterm very low weight infants and how it increases their chances of survival was fascinating.
             This study is about premature infants with very low birth weights and the effect of caffeine on decreasing apnea episodes while monitoring oxygen consumption and metabolic rate in a controlled environment. Oxygen consumption (VO2) and carbon dioxide production (VCO2) were measured by indirect calorimetry (measurement of the amount of heat evolved or absorbed in a chemical reaction, change of state, or formation of a solution) before, during and after caffeine treatment in the preterm infants. Changes in metabolic rate resulting from therapeutic doses of caffeine have not been measured in preterm infants before.
             The results may give insight on why it influences the metabolic rate and reduces growth in VLBW (very low birth weight) preterm infants.
             18 infants were involved in the study over a 4 week period. 9 received caffeine therapy, median gestational age for this group was 30 weeks and median weight was 1140g. The 9 infants in the control group median gestational age were 31 weeks and median weight was 1230g. .
             During the 4 week study it was found that the infants treated with caffeine(compared to the control group)had a significant increase in oxygen consumption from 7.0 +/- (plus or minus) 0.9 before caffeine to 8.8 +/- 0.7ml/kg/min after 48 hours of caffeine therapy and energy expenditure increased from 2.1 +/- 0.3 to 3.0 +/- 0.2 kcal/kg/hour. Caffeine use also decreased the episodes of apnea (a breath pause longer than 20 seconds or a pause <20 seconds associated with bradycardia (heartbeat <100 beats per minute) and or cynosis) from 20 +/- 3 to 8 +/- 5 per day. In the caffeine group it was also noted that a lower environmental temperature was needed to maintain a normal body temperature because of increased energy expenditure.


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