Effects of postnatal aminophylline on the course of respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants.

The effect of postnatally administered aminophylline on the development of respiratory distress syndrome was evaluated in 25 premature infants weighing less than 1,500 gm. By random allocation, 14 infants were treated with aminophylline intravenously, and 11 infants served as controls. In the treated infants, a loading dose of 6 mg/kg of aminophylline was administered on the first day of life, and maintenance dosages of 4 mg/kg/day were given for the next three days. Respiratory distress syndrome developed in seven infants in the treated group and seven infants in the control group. Ten infants in each group required mechanical ventilation. More cases of intraventricular hemorrhage were diagnosed in the control group, but more deaths occurred in the treated group. These findings led to the conclusion that aminophylline administered postnatally did not appreciably modify the course of respiratory distress syndrome.