[Prevention of neonatal apnea with theophylline (author's transl)].

To the well known methods for prevention of neonatal apnea like stimulation, CPAP, and mechanical ventilation the treatment with theophylline has been added recently. We studied the efficiency of theophylline therapy in 10 premature infants with apnea. The initial dosage was 6 mg theophylline/kg body-weight, followed by a dosage of 2 mg/kg for the next 12 h. The frequency of apnea thereby was significantly reduced. Only in two cases the heart rate rose above 180/min as a side effect. In no case an additional therapy was necessary.