[Comparison of caffeine citrate and aminophylline for treating primary apnea in premature infants].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of caffeine citrate and aminophylline in the treatment of primary apnea in premature infants. METHODS: The clinical data of 125 premature infants with primary apnea from March 2013 to March 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the therapeutic strategy, the patients were divided into caffeine citrate group (n=65) and aminophylline group (n=60). The overall response rates and adverse reaction rates in the two groups were compared. RESULTS: The overall response rate in the caffeine citrate group was 86% (56 cases), which was significantly higher than that in the aminophylline group (72%, 43 cases) (P<0.05). The adverse reactions in the caffeine citrate group included tachycardia (1 case), restlessness (5 cases), feeding intolerance (7 cases), electrolyte disturbance (2 cases), and high blood glucose (5 cases), the incidence of which was significantly lower than that in the aminophylline group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Caffeine citrate is more effective and causes fewer adverse reactions than aminophylline in the treatment of primary apnea in premature infants.