- Neonatal Cochrane group
Do you think methylxanthines work to treat intermittent hypoxia in late preterm infants? Cochrane systematic review: consumer involvement
Skills / interests: PICO annotation, Dissemination / Knowledge Translation, Methodological peer review, Prioritisation of review topics, Training or mentoring, Consumer (public, patient, carer) input, Other
Methodological skills / interests: Patient reported outcomes, Priority setting, Adverse effects, Equity
We are planning a Cochrane systematic review about the role of methylxanthines to prevent and treat intermittent hypoxia and respiratory insufficiency in late preterm infants (gestational age > or equal 34 weeks)
As parents or healthcare professional (nurse, respiratory therapist, pediatrician, neonatologist), we invite you to participate by answering this brief question to know your thoughts and concerns about this therapy in late preterm infants.
For parents:
**Given that your baby has experienced shorts and intermittent drops of oxygen saturation while he/she was awake, sleeping, feeding or during kangaroo position, what was your biggest concern?
For healthcare providers: **Given that in your clinical practice you have used methylxanthines for late preterm infants to prevent or treat intermittent hypoxia or to treat the need of respiratory support or apneas episodes, what do you think it would be the main benefit of those babies at short term and at long term with the treatment? for example: reduce major neurodevelopmental disability, mortality, length of hospital stay, need for invasive respiratory support, other?
**Do you have any concern of using methylxanthines for late preterm infants in terms of adverse events? (please list your concerns, tachycardia, feeding intolerance, sleeplessness, hyperglycemia, hypertension, heart arrhythmias, growth failure, others)
Cochrane
Is there any task poster?
They enhance respiratory drive and decrease the frequency of apneic episodes, help maintain adequate oxygenation and prevent intermittent hypoxia, decrease the need for invasive mechanical ventilation, which carries its own risks. Better brain oxygenation and reduced risk of brain injury, They can reduce the severity of Bronchopulmonary dysplasia by enhancing lung function and reducing inflammation. They can cause transient tachycardia (elevated heart rate) and tremors. Monitoring heart rate and adjusting the dose accordingly is essential. Gastric irritation or reflux can occur, excessive stimulation can lead to irritability and poor feeding. Regular monitoring of serum levels and clinical response is crucial to optimize therapy.
Hi, I am Registered Nurse, Educator and Infection Control Practitioner with more than 20 years of experience. In my experience, the most beneficial aspect of administration of methylxanthine derivative is to promote the breathing pattern and prevent hypoxia among premature babies. The short-time benefit is to prevent any respiratory distress and invasive respiratory support. The long-term effect is to sustain the improved respiratory pattern and to prevent hypoventilation. These positive effects decreased the length of stay and of course beneficial to the parents. On the other hand, short-term effects of the drug like irritability, tachycardia and feeding difficulties are encountered and it has been managed and under control. However, there were no long-term effects such as growth failure and developmental disability have been reported.