The Effect of an Additional Pre-extubational Loading Dose of Caffeine-citrate

NCT ID: NCT06401083

Last Updated: 2024-05-06

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

PHASE4

Total Enrollment

226 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2023-12-21

Study Completion Date

2028-12-31

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

The goal of this clinical trial is to answer whether the use of a single loading dose (20 mg/kg) of caffeine citrate one hour before extubation has an impact on the success rate of extubation among preterm neonates. In addition, the investigators would like to assess the frequency of apneas and side effects of the intervention, as well as the development of NEC, BPD, IVH, PVL, and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in the investigated populations.

According to institutional protocol, preterm infants born before the 32nd week of gestation receive a standard dose of caffeine citrate therapy. This covers a maintenance dose of 5-10 mg/kg of caffeine citrate administered intravenously once or twice daily after a loading dose of 20 mg/kg on the first day of life. In this trial, preterm infants born before the 32nd gestational week and who had been mechanically ventilated for at least 48 hours before planned extubation are planned to be randomly allocated into intervention and control groups. The intervention group will receive an additional loading dose of caffeine citrate 60 minutes before extubation. The control group will receive standard dosing regimens.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

The most common cause of the failure of non-invasive ventilatory support is poor spontaneous respiratory activity in preterm infants and recurrent respiratory arrest (apnea) due to the immature nervous system. The national and international literature has extensively studied apnea in preterm infants. Apnea is a respiratory failure of 15-20 seconds or shorter duration associated with bradycardia or desaturation. Apneas develop in preterm infants due to prematurity of the respiratory center and chemoreceptors and reduced patency of the upper airway. Apnea in preterm infants is the most common indication for intubation and reintubation.

The apnea-reducing effects of the respiratory center stimulant methylxanthines have been known for more than 40 years. Based on current knowledge, caffeine is the drug of choice for the medical treatment of apnea. Caffeine has the narrowest spectrum of side effects, the broadest therapeutic range, and the most prolonged half-life among methylxanthines.

Caffeine is currently one of the most commonly used drugs in premature neonatal intensive care units. The most common dosing recommendation is a maintenance dose of 5-10 mg/kg daily after a loading dose of 20 mg/kg of caffeine citrate. Higher saturating and maintenance doses have been used in some studies, with some reports suggesting that higher doses of caffeine increase the chance of successful extubation. However, other studies have reported more frequent adverse effects at higher doses. Conflicting literature suggests that caffeine dosing may vary between institutions. Further basic research and clinical studies are needed to determine the optimal dose.

The investigators seek to answer whether the use of a single loading dose of caffeine citrate one hour before extubation impacts the success rate of extubation. In addition, the investigators would like to assess the frequency and severity of side effects and the development of necrotizing enterocolitis, intraventricular hemorrhage, periventricular leukomalacia, and bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

To investigate the effect of a pre-extubational loading dose of caffeine-citrate, the investigators plan to carry out a two-armed randomized clinical trial, including preterm neonates being treated in one of the tertiary neonatal intensive care units of Semmelweis University. A total of 226 patients are planned to be enrolled. According to institutional protocol, preterm infants born before the 32nd week of gestation receive a standard dose of caffeine therapy. This covers a maintenance dose of 5-10 mg/kg of caffeine citrate administered intravenously once or twice daily after a loading dose of 20 mg/kg on the first day of life.

Preterm infants who have been on mechanical ventilation for at least 48 hours before planned extubation will be randomly allocated into intervention and control groups. Stratification of the randomization will be based on gestational age and antenatal steroid prophylaxis. Intervention is an additional loading dose (20 mg/kg) of intravenous caffeine citrate 60 minutes before extubation. The control group will receive routine dosing regimens as mentioned above. Before extubation, the parents will be informed and asked for consent. Pre-interventional, the investigators plan to collect baseline characteristics and oxygen requirements. After extubation, the need for reintubation within the next 48 hours will be assessed. This timeframe was chosen because most of reintubation due to respiratory reasons happens within the next 48 hours after extubation, and the caffeine half-life ranges from 40 to 230 hours.

The investigators will also assess the frequency of side effects such as gastric residuals, frequency of apneas, need for supplementary oxygen, elevated heart rate, or blood pressure. Data will be collected about adverse outcomes of prematurity, e.g., necrotizing enterocolitis, intraventricular hemorrhage, periventricular leukomalacia, and bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Apnea of Prematurity Premature Birth Respiratory Failure

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Pre-extubational caffeine-citrate

Participants will receive 20 mg/kg loading dose of caffeine citrate on the first day of life and after that 5-10 mg/kg maintenance dose each day. On this arm, the participants will receive 20 mg/kg caffeine dose once again before the planned extubation.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Caffeine citrate

Intervention Type DRUG

20 mg/kg caffeine-citrate before the planned extubation.

Routine care

Participants will receive 20 mg/kg loading dose of caffeine citrate on the first day of life and after that 5-10 mg/kg maintenance dose each day, also on the day of the extubation.

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Caffeine citrate

20 mg/kg caffeine-citrate before the planned extubation.

Intervention Type DRUG

Other Intervention Names

Discover alternative or legacy names that may be used to describe the listed interventions across different sources.

CITRATE DE CAFEINE COOPER 25 mg/ml Coopération Pharmaceutique Française, Melun, France

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* Premature infant born before 32nd week of gestation is completed;
* Had been mechanically ventilated for at least 48 hours;
* Before the first planned extubation.

Exclusion Criteria

* Lack of informed consent, refusal to participate in the study;
* Major congenital anomaly;
* Had not received surfactant treatment;
* Hydrops foetalis;
* Persistent tachycardia before extubation, fetal/neonatal arrhythmia;
* Asphyxia.
Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Semmelweis University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Dr. Gasparics Ákos

Chief Investigator, Assistant Lecturer

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Ákos Gasparics, MD.PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Semmelweis University, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

Pediatric Center, Semmelweis University

Budapest, , Hungary

Site Status RECRUITING

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Semmelweis University

Budapest, , Hungary

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

Hungary

Central Contacts

Reach out to these primary contacts for questions about participation or study logistics.

Kinga Kovács, MD.

Role: CONTACT

+36206663718

Ákos Gasparics, MD.PhD

Role: CONTACT

+36206663684

Facility Contacts

Find local site contact details for specific facilities participating in the trial.

Leina Mahdi, MD

Role: primary

Kinga Kovács, MD

Role: primary

+36206663718

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Erickson G, Dobson NR, Hunt CE. Immature control of breathing and apnea of prematurity: the known and unknown. J Perinatol. 2021 Sep;41(9):2111-2123. doi: 10.1038/s41372-021-01010-z. Epub 2021 Mar 12.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 33712716 (View on PubMed)

Bacci SLLDS, Johnston C, Hattori WT, Pereira JM, Azevedo VMGO. Mechanical ventilation weaning practices in neonatal and pediatric ICUs in Brazil: the Weaning Survey-Brazil. J Bras Pneumol. 2020 Mar 23;46(4):e20190005. doi: 10.36416/1806-3756/e20190005. eCollection 2020.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 32215452 (View on PubMed)

Kreutzer K, Bassler D. Caffeine for apnea of prematurity: a neonatal success story. Neonatology. 2014;105(4):332-6. doi: 10.1159/000360647. Epub 2014 May 30.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 24931325 (View on PubMed)

Schmidt B, Roberts RS, Davis P, Doyle LW, Barrington KJ, Ohlsson A, Solimano A, Tin W; Caffeine for Apnea of Prematurity Trial Group. Caffeine therapy for apnea of prematurity. N Engl J Med. 2006 May 18;354(20):2112-21. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa054065.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16707748 (View on PubMed)

Schmidt B, Roberts RS, Davis P, Doyle LW, Barrington KJ, Ohlsson A, Solimano A, Tin W; Caffeine for Apnea of Prematurity Trial Group. Long-term effects of caffeine therapy for apnea of prematurity. N Engl J Med. 2007 Nov 8;357(19):1893-902. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa073679.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 17989382 (View on PubMed)

Eichenwald EC. National and international guidelines for neonatal caffeine use: Are they evidenced-based? Semin Fetal Neonatal Med. 2020 Dec;25(6):101177. doi: 10.1016/j.siny.2020.101177. Epub 2020 Nov 4.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 33214064 (View on PubMed)

Moschino L, Zivanovic S, Hartley C, Trevisanuto D, Baraldi E, Roehr CC. Caffeine in preterm infants: where are we in 2020? ERJ Open Res. 2020 Mar 2;6(1):00330-2019. doi: 10.1183/23120541.00330-2019. eCollection 2020 Jan.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 32154294 (View on PubMed)

Chen J, Jin L, Chen X. Efficacy and Safety of Different Maintenance Doses of Caffeine Citrate for Treatment of Apnea in Premature Infants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Biomed Res Int. 2018 Dec 24;2018:9061234. doi: 10.1155/2018/9061234. eCollection 2018.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 30671477 (View on PubMed)

Mohammed S, Nour I, Shabaan AE, Shouman B, Abdel-Hady H, Nasef N. High versus low-dose caffeine for apnea of prematurity: a randomized controlled trial. Eur J Pediatr. 2015 Jul;174(7):949-56. doi: 10.1007/s00431-015-2494-8. Epub 2015 Feb 3.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25644724 (View on PubMed)

McPherson C, Neil JJ, Tjoeng TH, Pineda R, Inder TE. A pilot randomized trial of high-dose caffeine therapy in preterm infants. Pediatr Res. 2015 Aug;78(2):198-204. doi: 10.1038/pr.2015.72. Epub 2015 Apr 9.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25856169 (View on PubMed)

Chavez L, Bancalari E. Caffeine: Some of the Evidence behind Its Use and Abuse in the Preterm Infant. Neonatology. 2022;119(4):428-432. doi: 10.1159/000525267. Epub 2022 Jun 10.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 35691280 (View on PubMed)

Long JY, Guo HL, He X, Hu YH, Xia Y, Cheng R, Ding XS, Chen F, Xu J. Caffeine for the Pharmacological Treatment of Apnea of Prematurity in the NICU: Dose Selection Conundrum, Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Genetic Factors. Front Pharmacol. 2021 Jul 26;12:681842. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.681842. eCollection 2021.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 34381359 (View on PubMed)

Kovacs K, Nagy R, Andreka L, Teutsch B, Szabo M, Varga P, Hegyi P, Harsfalvi P, Acs N, Harmath A, Nador C, Gasparics A. The effect of an additional pre-extubational loading dose of caffeine citrate on mechanically ventilated preterm infants (NEOKOFF trial): Study protocol for a multicenter randomized clinical trial. PLoS One. 2025 Jan 13;20(1):e0315856. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0315856. eCollection 2025.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 39804861 (View on PubMed)

Provided Documents

Download supplemental materials such as informed consent forms, study protocols, or participant manuals.

Document Type: Informed Consent Form

View Document

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

2022-003202-77

Identifier Type: EUDRACT_NUMBER

Identifier Source: secondary_id

NEOKOFF22

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.

Caffeine Use in the Management of Preterm Infants
NCT06327152 ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING PHASE2
Caffeine for Apnea of Prematurity (CAP)
NCT00182312 COMPLETED PHASE3