The following information is obtained from various newswires, published medical journal articles, and medical conference presentations. This solution of caffeine citrate aids in preventing apnea in premature infants. Apnea of prematurity was defined as having at least 6 apnea episodes of greater than 20 seconds duration in a 24-hour period with no other identifiable cause of apnea.
Caffeine is structurally related to other methylxanthines, theophylline and theobromine.
It is a bronchial smooth muscle relaxant, a CNS stimulant, a cardiac muscle stimulant and a diuretic. Although the mechanism of action of caffeine in apnea of prematurity is not known, several mechanisms have been hypothesized. Most of these effects have been attributed to antagonism of adenosine receptors, both A1 and A2 subtypes, by caffeine, which has been demonstrated in receptor binding assays and observed at concentrations approximating those achieved therapeutically. L. A therapeutic plasma concentration range of caffeine could not be determined from the placebo-controlled clinical trial. In clinical studies reported in the literature, cases of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia have been observed.