Impact of Caffeine on Outcomes of Small for Gestation (SGA) Infants of ≤29 Weeks of Gestation

This is an interesting observation by our team. We noted that caffeine specifically helps the small for gestation preterm infants more than the appropriate for gestational age infants. Ninety percent of the SGA infants in the late caffeine group (when caffeine was initiated by day 4 of life in preterm infants of
 Early caffeine was strongly associated with a decreased incidence of CLD and shorter LOS and DV in SGA infants. Initiating caffeine early may be more important in SGA than in AGA preterm infants. This is going to be presented at the upcoming American Academy of Pediatrics 2012 conference in New Orleans.