Table 1.
Clinical characteristics of infants treated with intravenous or enteral caffeine
| Intravenous caffeine (n = 19) | Enteral caffeine (n = 19) | |
|---|---|---|
| Gestational age (week) | 27.9 ± 1.2 | 27.4 ± 1.2 |
| 25–26 | 4 (21) | 5 (26) |
| 27–29 | 15 (79) | 14 (74) |
| Birth weight (g) | 983 ± 230 | 1003 ± 206 |
| < 10° percentile | 1 (5) | 1 (5) |
| Female | 11 (58) | 11 (58) |
| Antenatal steroids | 19 (100) | 19 (100) |
| Vaginal delivery | 4 (21) | 6 (32) |
| Apgar score at 5 min | 8 (8–9) | 8 (6–8) |
| Respiratory distress syndrome | 14 (74) | 16 (84) |
| Peak FiO2 | 0.52 ± 0.26 | 0.58 ± 0.25 |
| Peak MAP (cm H2O) | 6.8 ± 2.2 | 8.2 ± 4.9 |
| Surfactant | 14 (74) | 15 (79) |
| Non-invasive ventilation | 19 (100) | 19 (100) |
| nCPAP duration (day) | 21 ± 10 | 20 ± 15 |
| nIPPV duration (day) | 13 ± 8 | 7 ± 8 |
| Mechanical ventilation < 72 h of age | 4 (21) | 3 (16) |
| Age at the start (h) | 25 ± 33 | 27 ± 39 |
| PTV | 3 (16) | 2 (11) |
| PTV + HFOV | 1 (5) | 1 (5) |
| Mechanical ventilation during hospitalisation | 6 (33) | 7 (37) |
| PTV | 6 (33) | 7 (33) |
| HFOV | 1 (5) | 4 (21) |
| PTV duration (day) | 16 ± 9 | 15 ± 18 |
| HFOV duration (day) | 1 | 1 ± 1.5 |
| Postnatal steroids | 5 (26) | 4 (21) |
| Patent ductus arteriosus | 15 (79) | 17 (89) |
| Severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia | 2 (10) | 0 |
| Necrotising enterocolitis | 1 (5) | 1 (5) |
| Sepsis | 9 (47) | 6 (32) |
| 3°–4° grade intraventricular haemorrhage | 1 (5) | 4 (20) |
| > 3° grade retinopathy of prematurity | 0 | 0 |
| Death | 0 | 3 (16) |
| Duration of NICU stay (day) | 80 ± 24 | 77 ± 30 |
| Duration of hospital stay (day) | 49 ± 21 | 41 ± 21 |
Mean (± SD), rate (%), or median (interquartile range)
HFOV high frequency oscillatory ventilation, nCPAP nasal continuous airway pressure, NICU neonatal intensive care unit, nIPPV nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation, pPROM prolonged premature rupture of membranes, PTV patient-triggered ventilation