Neonatal caffeine treatment and respiratory function at 11 years in children under 1, 251 g at Birth

Abstract

Rationale: Caffeine in the newborn period shortens the duration of assisted ventilation and reduces the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, but its effects on respiratory function in later childhood are unknown. Objectives: To determine if children born with birth weight less than 1, 251 g who were treated with neonatal caffeine had improved respiratory function at 11 years of age compared with children treated with placebo. Methods: Children enrolled in the CAP (Caffeine for Apnea of Prematurity) randomized controlled trial and assessed at the Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne at 11 years of age had expiratory flow rates measured according to the standards of the American Thoracic So..