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Variation of caffeine use in late preterm infants in U.S. NICUs over time: A 12-year cohort study.

Journal articles  - Journal Article
Weimer, KED; Katakam, L; Williams, K; Gray, K; Athavale, K; Schneider, S; Chan Poon, KT; Tolia, VN; Greenberg, RG; Benjamin, DK; Aleem, S
Published in: J Perinatol
June 22, 2026

OBJECTIVE: Describe caffeine use in late preterm infants (LPIs) in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) over time METHODS: Cohort study of infants born 34-36 weeks gestation discharged from Pediatrix Medical Group NICUs from 2011-2022. RESULTS: Of 233,804 LPIs, 3.7% (n = 8633) were exposed to caffeine. Caffeine-exposed LPIs had a lower gestational age (GA), were more likely to receive surfactant, had higher and longer respiratory support needs, and longer length of stay (all p < 0.001). Compared to epoch 1 (2011-2016), LPIs in epoch 2 (2017-2022) were exposed to caffeine at an earlier postnatal age (2 vs. 3 days), shorter duration (1 vs. 6 days) and had discontinued at an earlier postmenstrual age (35 vs. 35.4 weeks) (all p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Caffeine was used more often in LPIs requiring respiratory support and with lower GA. Although incidence of caffeine use was stable over time, details of prescribing practices differed across sites and over time.

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Published In

J Perinatol

DOI

EISSN

1476-5543

Publication Date

June 22, 2026

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Pediatrics
  • 3213 Paediatrics
 

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Weimer, K. E. D., Katakam, L., Williams, K., Gray, K., Athavale, K., Schneider, S., … Aleem, S. (2026). Variation of caffeine use in late preterm infants in U.S. NICUs over time: A 12-year cohort study. J Perinatol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-026-02766-y
Weimer, Kristin E. D., Lakshmi Katakam, Kevin Williams, Keyaria Gray, Kamlesh Athavale, Simone Schneider, Kwai Tei Chan Poon, et al. “Variation of caffeine use in late preterm infants in U.S. NICUs over time: A 12-year cohort study.J Perinatol, June 22, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-026-02766-y.
Weimer KED, Katakam L, Williams K, Gray K, Athavale K, Schneider S, et al. Variation of caffeine use in late preterm infants in U.S. NICUs over time: A 12-year cohort study. J Perinatol. 2026 Jun 22;
Weimer, Kristin E. D., et al. “Variation of caffeine use in late preterm infants in U.S. NICUs over time: A 12-year cohort study.J Perinatol, June 2026. Pubmed, doi:10.1038/s41372-026-02766-y.
Weimer KED, Katakam L, Williams K, Gray K, Athavale K, Schneider S, Chan Poon KT, Tolia VN, Greenberg RG, Benjamin DK, Aleem S. Variation of caffeine use in late preterm infants in U.S. NICUs over time: A 12-year cohort study. J Perinatol. 2026 Jun 22;

Published In

J Perinatol

DOI

EISSN

1476-5543

Publication Date

June 22, 2026

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Pediatrics
  • 3213 Paediatrics