Clinical spectrum of neonatal apnoea in very low birthweight infants

This study quantifies apnoea and assesses the response to xanthine derivatives amongst 172 consecutively born, surviving very low birth weight (VLBW) infants, 136 appropriate weight for gestational age (AGA), 36 small for gestatfonal age (SGA). All babies had electronic monitoring of heart and respiratory rates and nursing staff recorded episodes of apnoea (> 10 s), bradycardia (<100) and cyanosis. Only 42 (24.2%) babies had no episodes recorded. (25 AGA, 17 SGA). Sixty‐four (37.2%) received active resuscitation on at least one occasion with six babies ventilated by bag and mask on more than 10 occasions. Apnoea had commenced by day 10 of life in all the babies who had apnoea and persisted beyond day 50 in only six; however four of these infants were still requiring active resuscitation. Apnoea had ceased by 37 weeks post‐conceptual age in 88% and by 40 weeks in all but three babies. Risk factor analysis revealed a strong correlation (P<0.005) with lower gestational ages and birth weights, respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and the problems associated with it, such as mechanical ventilation, patency of the ductus arteriosus (PDA) and chronic neonatal lung disease. A single, reversible cause for apnoea was rarely demonstrated. Care must be exercised with feeding, physiotherapy and suctioning the pharynx and trachea of ‘at risk’ infants. Xanthine derivatives were highly effective in decreasing the frequency of recurrent apnoea from a mean of 10.08 episodes one day before, to 1.83 two days after commencement of treatment.