RESUMO
Apnea in premature infants is a common preterm neonatal serious disease, persistent apnea will cause harm to brain and organ development. Methylxanthine compounds such as theophylline and caffeine are used to treat apnea in premature infants. Among them, the caffeine treatment of greater safety and ease of administration once a day, and more attention due to caffeine safe, effective, cost-effective the best, Aranda described it as "silver bullet in neonatal medicine". Caffeine reduced the number of apneic episodes during the first 2 to 7 d and the number of intermittent positive pressure ventilation use and showed a dependency on other beneficial effects such as can reduced time of tracheal intubation and nasal catheter continuous positive airway pressure, reduce the duration of continuous oxygen supply, improve the success rate of weaning, reduce the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, reduce patent ductus arteriosus, reduce the use of hormones, retinopathy of premature children have a positive therapeutic effect. Caffeine treatment reduces positive airway pressure, thereby reducing overall treatment costs. In 2013, China approved caffeine citrate for the treatment of apnea in premature infants. In this paper, the pharmacokinetics of caffeine in premature infants and its application in apnea and related diseases of premature infants were reviewed.