Study to see if caffeine prevents disability in prem babies

Could caffeine given from birth help prevent developmental impairment in babies?

University of Auckland senior lecturer in Paediatrics Dr Jane Alsweiler hopes to answer that question with a clinical trial after being awarded a grant of $249,513.

The research, dubbed The Latte Trial, aims to try and determine the most effective dose of caffeine that could help premature babies born a few weeks before their due date.

More than 3500 babies in New Zealand are born “late preterm” (four to six weeks early) every year and are at greater risk of disability when older than babies born at term.

This may be because late-preterm babies frequently had drops in the amount of oxygen in their blood for the first few weeks after birth.

Alsweiler said: “It’s been known for some years that in very preterm babies (more than eight weeks early) treatment with caffeine not only reduces apnoea (pauses in breathing) and hypoxaemia (recurrent drops in oxygen saturation), but also improves long-term brain development.

“It’s not known, however, if caf- feine can do the same for late-preterm babies.”

The trial would involve babies born between 34 and 36 weeks.

“If successful, the Latte trial will change the management and improve outcomes of late-preterm babies. As caffeine treatment is inexpensive, and long-term neurodevelopmental impairment is costly, there is also the potential for an economic benefit for New Zealand’s healthcare system.”

Health Research Council chief executive Professor Kath McPherson said large studies like this could not get off the ground without preliminary issues being addressed.

“Feasibility studies are a key pathway to allow researchers to innovate, but also address potential dealbreakers or risks to a larger study.”