Trial reportEuropean journal of pediatrics2015
High versus low-dose caffeine for apnea of prematurity: a randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in European journal of pediatrics, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 49 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
High Versus Low Dose Caffeine as Respiratory Stimulant in Preterm Infants
The Effect of an Additional Pre-extubational Loading Dose of Caffeine-citrate
Who cites it
49 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 111 citations in OpenAlex.
- Caffeine and other methylxanthines' impact on bronchiolitis-related apnea in under 12-months-old children-a systematic review with meta-analyses.European journal of pediatrics · 2026Pooled it
- Caffeine for apnea and prevention of neurodevelopmental impairment in preterm infants: systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2024Pooled it
- Methylxanthine for the prevention and treatment of apnea in preterm infants.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Interventions to Reduce Severe Brain Injury Risk in Preterm Neonates: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.JAMA network open · 2023Pooled it
- Efficacy and Safety of Different Maintenance Doses of Caffeine Citrate for Treatment of Apnea in Premature Infants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.BioMed research international · 2018Pooled it
- High versus standard dose caffeine in prevention of apnea of prematurity: an assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial (HI-CAF trial).European journal of pediatrics · 2026Trial
- Early Versus Conventional Discontinuation of Caffeine Therapy for Apnea of Prematurity: A Randomized Controlled Trial-The DECaf Trial.Pediatric pulmonology · 2026Trial
- Caffeine to prevent intermittent hypoxaemia in late preterm infants: randomised controlled dosage trial.Archives of disease in childhood. Fetal and neonatal edition · 2023Trial
- Effect of different maintenance doses of caffeine citrate on ventilator weaning in very preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome: a prospective randomized controlled trial.Zhongguo dang dai er ke za zhi = Chinese journal of contemporary pediatrics · 2021Trial
- A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Two Doses of Caffeine for Apnoea in Prematurity.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Trial
- Predictors of Failure of Conventional Dose Caffeine Therapy in Neonates Below 32 Weeks' Gestation: An Ambispective Cohort Study.Indian journal of pediatrics · 2026Article
- Caffeine citrate increases ciliary beat frequency in human respiratory epithelial cells.Molecular and cellular pediatrics · 2026Article
- Caffeine and preterm infants: multiorgan effects and therapeutic creep: scope to optimise dose and timing.Pediatric research · 2026Review
- Current and Emerging Therapies for Prevention and Treatment of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in Preterm Infants.Paediatric drugs · 2025Review
- What is the Role of Caffeine in the Management of Preterm Infants?Current treatment options in pediatrics · 2025Review
- Article
- Caffeine Treatment for Prostaglandin E1-Induced Apnea Prevention in Congenital Heart Disease Neonates: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Critical care research and practice · 2025Article
- Caffeine Therapy for Apnea of Prematurity: Single-Center Study on Dosing Practices and Perceived Effectiveness.Neonatology · 2025Article
- Predictors for poor daily weight gain in preterm neonates exposed to different dose regimens of caffeine in ICU- a retrospective cohort study.BMC pediatrics · 2024Article
- A cost-effectiveness analysis for high versus standard (low) dose caffeine for the treatment of apnea in neonatal intensive care unit.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
unlabelledThe optimum caffeine dose in preterm infants has not been well investigated. We aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of high versus low-dose caffeine citrate on apnea of prematurity (AOP) and successful extubation of preterm infants from mechanical ventilation. We compared high-dose (loading 40 mg/kg/day and maintenance of 20 mg/kg/day) versus low-dose (loading 20 mg/kg/day and maintenance of 10 mg/kg/day) caffeine citrate in preterm infants <32 weeks gestation, presented with AOP within the first 10 days of life. A total of 120 neonates (60 in each group) were enrolled. High-dose caffeine was associated with a significant reduction in extubation failure in mechanically ventilated preterm infants (p<0.05), the frequency of apnea (p<0.001), and days of documented apnea (p<0.001). High-dose caffeine was associated with significant increase in episodes of tachycardia (p<0.05) without a significant impact on physician decision to withhold caffeine.
conclusionThe use of higher, than current standard, dose of caffeine may decrease the chance of extubation failure in mechanically ventilated preterm infants and frequency of AOP without significant side effects. WHAT IS KNOWN: • Caffeine therapy for treatment of apnea of prematurity has been well established over the past few years. The optimal loading and maintenance dose of caffeine in preterm infants is not well-studied. What is New: • This double blind randomized controlled trial demonstrated that using a higher, than current standard, loading and maintenance doses of caffeine for treatment of apnea in preterm infants is well tolerated and significantly decrease the frequency of apnea.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.