Dosing wisely: caffeine and the preterm infant

Caffeine is widely used in preterm infants to treat apnea of prematurity and decrease ventilator dependence. It has similar effects as theophylline with a favorable safety profile because of a larger window between the range of therapeutic and toxic drug levels. Over time, there has been a trend among neonatologists to use higher doses, but this may be problematic because caffeine clearance changes rapidly in the first postnatal weeks and obtaining drug levels may not be feasible in all neonatal intensive care units.
Source: The Journal of Pediatrics - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: The Editors' Perspectives Source Type: research