Key result
Maintenance caffeine shows no effect on heart rate variability in apneic newborns.
Why the study?
Caffeine is used to treat neonatal apnoea and affects the cardiovascular system, but its effect on heart rate variability and the relationship between heart rate variability and postmenstrual age were not established.
Does caffeine citrate affect heart rate variability in newborns with neonatal apnoea?
Observational (n=25)
No
Does caffeine citrate affect heart rate variability in newborns with neonatal apnoea?
Standard maintenance doses of caffeine for neonatal apnoea do not adversely affect autonomic nervous system maturation as measured by heart rate variability.
Low-dose caffeine does not appear to alter HRV in apneic newborns; hypothesis-generating and requires larger trials for confirmation.
Neonatal apnoea can be treated with caffeine, which affects the central nervous and cardiovascular systems. Heart rate variability (HRV) reflects the activity of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and might be used as a measure of ANS maturation in newborns. We aimed to establish the effect of caffeine on HRV in newborns and investigated the potential correlation between HRV and postmenstrual age (PMA). In 25 haemodynamically stable newborns hospitalized due to apnoea and treated with caffeine (2.5 mg/kg), we assessed breathing frequency, arterial oxygen saturation, body temperature, and the heart rate while they were sleeping. We assessed HRV by spectral analysis using fast Fourier transformation. The same protocol was reapplied 100 h after caffeine withdrawal to assess the control parameters. Caffeine increased breathing frequency (p = 0.023) but did not affect any other parameter assessed including HRV. We established a positive correlation between postmenstrual age and HRV during treatment with caffeine as well as after caffeine had been withdrawn (total power: p = 0.044; low-frequency band: p = 0.039). Apparently, the maintenance dose of caffeine is too low to affect the heart rate and HRV. A positive correlation between PMA and HRV might reflect maturation of the ANS, irrespective of caffeine treatment.
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Lenasi et al. (2023) conducted an observational in Neonatal apnoea (n=25). Caffeine citrate vs. Post-withdrawal (100 hours after cessation) was evaluated on Heart rate variability (HRV). Caffeine treatment at a maintenance dose of 2.5 mg/kg did not significantly affect heart rate variability in newborns with apnoea, though it increased breathing frequency.
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