International Journal of Medical Sciences (IJMS)

Caffeine plays a key role in noninvasive respiratory support, easing the transition from invasive to noninvasive support, shortening the length of positive airway pressure support, and lowering BPD risk. Caffeine and aminophylline are effective in decreasing apnoea and facilitating and ventilator weaning in extremely preterm newborns. This study aims to investigate the clinical significance of caffeine and aminophylline in treating premature infants with apnea under varying conditions of oxygen (O2) delivery. The current study included 38 preterm babies with apnea who underwent caffeine or aminophylline treatment at the Al-Mahaweel General Hospital between January and December 2020; the infants were 20 boys and 18 girls, with birth weights ranging from 500 to 1,250 grams. The study came out to the result that caffeine plays a key role in noninvasive respiratory support, easing the transition from invasive to noninvasive support, shortening the length of positive airway pressure support, and lowering BPD risk. Caffeine and aminophylline both are effective in decreasing apnoea and facilitating and ventilator weaning in extremely preterm newborns. Caffeine has therapeutic advantages over aminophylline, such as better enteral absorption, a longer half-life that allows for a single daily dose, reduced side effects, and a good long-term cost/benefit ratio, making it the first choice drug for the cure of apnoea in premature neonates.