Kosin Med J.  2018 Dec;33(3):380-385. 10.7180/kmj.2018.33.3.380.

Comparative observational study of aminophylline with prophylactic and therapeutic uses for clinical outcomes in preterm infants

• Bae MH
• Lee NR
• Han YM
• Byun SY
• Park KH

• KMID: 2442548
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.7180/kmj.2018.33.3.380

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
Aminophylline has been used for prevention or treatment of apnea in preterm infants with idiopathic apnea of prematurity. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical usefulness of prophylactic in comparison with therapeutic aminophylline therapy.
METHODS
This retrospective observational study included infants born with a birth weight of < 2,500 g or at < 36 weeks of gestation. Infants born between August 2013 and July 2014 who received aminophylline therapy within 24 hr after birth were assigned to the prophylactic group, while infants born between August 2014 and July 2015 who received aminophylline therapy after obvious apnea were assigned to the therapeutic group. We compared clinical characteristics, including days of ventilator and oxygen therapy and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) between both groups.
RESULTS
Sixty"”four patients and 25 infants were identified in the prophylactic and therapeutic groups, respectively. The mean gestational age and birth weight were 32.57 ± 1.96 weeks and 1765 ± 205 g, respectively, in the prophylactic group and 32.46 ± 1.82 weeks and 1770 ± 250 g, respectively, in the therapeutic group. No significant differences in clinical characteristics were found between the two groups. Similar clinical outcomes, including days of ventilator and oxygen therapy, intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), periventricular leukomalacia, and BPD, were observed between the two groups.
CONCLUSIONS
The present study showed that the prophylactic use of aminophylline does not improve the clinical outcomes, including BPD, IVH, and ventilator dependency as compared with therapeutic use. In other words, routine prophylactic use of aminophylline is unnecessary.

Keyword

Aminophylline; Apnea; Preterm infants

MeSH Terms

Aminophylline*
Apnea
Birth Weight
Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia
Gestational Age
Hemorrhage
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Infant, Premature*
Leukomalacia, Periventricular
Observational Study*
Oxygen
Parturition
Pregnancy
Retrospective Studies
Therapeutic Uses*
Ventilators, Mechanical
Aminophylline
Oxygen
Therapeutic Uses

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