Abstract
The effect of aminophylline (10 mg/kg) was investigated in 16 preterm infants (25 to 34 weeks of gestational age). The infants were weaned from mechanical ventilation and all had normal brain ultrasonograms. Cerebral blood flow (CBF), mean arterial blood pressure (MABP), arterial blood gases (P.O2 and P.CO2) and visual evoked potentials (VEP) were recorded just before, immediately after and I hour after aminophylline was given intravenously.
A VEP was present in all infants. Between the three measurements, there were no significant changes in CBF, MABP, P.O2, P.CO2 or VEP parameters (ANOVA). However, the intra-individual changes in CBF were positively related to the minor variations of P.CO2 (CBF changed 33.2% per kPa; P<0.0001). After having accounted for changes in P.CO2, CBF had decreased 5.5% (95% CI -1.7 to 12.2) just after aminophylline, and decreased 13.8% (95% CI 7.3 to 19.9) one hour after aminophylline.
It is concluded that aminophylline has a direct effect on CBF but apparently without affecting the cerebral function of stable, preterm infants.
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Pryds, O., Schneider, S. 20 Aminophylline reduces CBF of preterm infants without affecting the VEP. Pediatr Res 28, 280 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199009000-00044
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199009000-00044