Intermittent HypoxiaPhase 2ICAFNCT03321734
Intermittent Hypoxia and Caffeine in Infants Born Preterm
A Phase 2 study testing Caffeine in people with Intermittent Hypoxia, run by Children's National Research Institute at 15 sites in United States.
Trial summary
Intermittent Hypoxia and Caffeine in Infants Born Preterm (ICAF) Our proposal will address the critical question: is persisting intermittent hypoxia (IH) in preterm infants associated with biochemical, structural, or functional injury, and is this injury attenuated with extended caffeine treatment? The investigators… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 32 to 36 weeks
- Conditions the study is for
- Intermittent Hypoxia
- What is being tested?
- Caffeine
- Type of treatment
- Pill or oral medicine
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 170 participants
- Where
- 15 sitesUnited States
- Study dates
- 18 Jan 2019to 1 Jun 2023
- Phase
- Phase 2
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 32 to 36 weeks
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child
Who may be able to join
- Male and female infants born preterm at ≤30 weeks + 6 days post menstrual age
- Current treatment with routine caffeine
- PMA 32 weeks + 0 days - 36 weeks + 6 days
- Anticipated last dose of routine caffeine will be by 36 weeks + 5 days
- At least 12 hours of breathing room air with no ventilatory support other than on room air nasal air flow therapy regardless of flow rate, or on room air and receiving nasal CPAP, and relapse not anticipated.
- Able to tolerate enteral medications
- It is feasible to administer the first dose of study drug no later than 36 weeks + 6 days PMA
Who cannot join
- Intraventricular hemorrhage Grade III-IV or cystic periventricular leukomalacia
- Current or prior treatment for seizures
- Current or prior treatment for cardiac arrhythmias
- Known renal or hepatic dysfunction that in the opinion of the investigator would have a clinically relevant impact on caffeine metabolism
- Major malformation, inborn error of metabolism, chromosomal abnormality
- Presence of a condition for which survival to discharge unlikely
- Social, mental health, logistical or other issues that, in the opinion of the investigator, would impact the ability of the family to complete the study
Trial locations and contacts
15 sites in 1 country.
15 sites in 1 country
United States15 sites
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
Baltimore, Maryland, 21224
Johns Hopkins
Baltimore, Maryland, 21287
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
Bethesda, Maryland, 20889
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Boston, Massachusetts, 02215
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, Ohio, 44195
Kapiolani Medical Center
Honolulu, Hawaii, 96826
University of Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi, 39216
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
Lebanon, New Hampshire, 03756
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky, 40536
Loma Linda University Health System
Loma Linda, California, 92354
AdventHealth Orlando
Orlando, Florida, 32803
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104
Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital
St. Petersburg, Florida, 33701
Children's National Medical Center/Children's Research Institute
Washington D.C., District of Columbia, 20010
University of Massachusetss
Worcester, Massachusetts, 01605
About this study
Official title: Intermittent Hypoxia and Caffeine in Infants Born Preterm (ICAF)
Intermittent Hypoxia and Caffeine in Infants Born Preterm (ICAF) Our proposal will address the critical question: is persisting intermittent hypoxia (IH) in preterm infants associated with biochemical, structural, or functional injury, and is this injury attenuated with extended caffeine treatment? The investigators will study the effects of caffeine on IH in 220 preterm infants born at ≤30 weeks + 6 days gestation. Infants who are currently being treated with routine caffeine, and who meet eligibility criteria, will be enrolled between 32 weeks + 0 days and 36 weeks + 6 days PMA. At enrollment, infants will be started on continuous pulse oximeter recording of O2 saturation and heart rate. If, based on standard clinical criteria, the last dose of routine caffeine is given on or before the day the infant is 36 weeks + 5 days PMA, then on the day following their last dose of routine caffeine treatment, infants will be randomized (110/group) to extended caffeine treatment or placebo. Randomized infants should begin receiving study drug (i.e. 5 mg/kg/of caffeine base, or equal volume of placebo) on the day of randomization, but no later than the third calendar day following the last dose of routine caffeine. Prior to 36 weeks + 0 days PMA, study drug will be given once daily (i.e. 5mg/kg/day) and beginning at 36 weeks + 0 days PMA, study drug will be given twice daily (i.e. 10 mg/kg/day). The last dose of study drug will be given at 42 weeks + 6 days PMA. Pulse oximeter recordings will continue 1 additional week after discontinuing study drug. Two caffeine levels will be obtained, the 1st at one week after beginning study drug, and the 2nd at a target date of 40 weeks + 0 days PMA, but no later than the last day of study drug, whether in hospital or at home. Inflammatory biomarkers will be measured at study enrollment and again at 38 weeks + 0 days PMA, or within 2 calendar days prior to hospital discharge, whichever comes first. Quantitative MRI/MRS should be obtained between study enrollment and 3 calendar days after starting study drug and again at a target date of 43 weeks + 0 days, but no later than 46 weeks + 6 days PMA.
Read the detailed description
Acute morbidities can contribute to adverse neurodevelopment outcomes in preterm infants born at ≤30 wks gestation, but neural damage occurring after resolution of acute morbidities may be more subtle and related to cycles of inflammation and repair in the developing brain. One possible contributor to these more subtle injuries is intermittent hypoxia (IH), defined as repetitive cycles of hypoxia and re-oxygenation, which occur commonly in convalescent premature infants. Caffeine treatment can improve both motor and cognitive neurodevelopmental outcome in premature infants, especially at higher doses, but mechanisms are unclear.The Caffeine for Apnea of Prematurity (CAP) Trial in infants born preterm at <1250 g reported 1) shorter duration of positive pressure ventilation and reduced rate of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in infants treated with caffeine during the early postnatal wks prior to 34-35 wks postmenstrual age (PMA), 2) improved motor function and reduced rates of developmental coordination disorder at 5 years, and 3) diffusion changes by MRI consistent with improved white matter microstructural development. Although potential mechanisms for this caffeine effect were not studied in these reports, a recent study of very preterm infants in postnatal weeks 1-10 showed for the first time a direct link between IH and motor, cognitive and language impairment at 18 months corrected age (adjusted risk gradient p<0.005).Notably, the greatest risk gradient was at postnatal ages 9-10 wk, consistent with a contributory role of later IH present after stopping routine caffeine treatment. These data emphasize the potential importance of recurrent episodes of IH, as convalescing infants approach term-equivalent age, on later cognitive, language and motor impairments.
Studies of IH during the early postnatal wks of life in very preterm infants may be due to other mechanisms, including ineffective ventilation or other acute morbidities. However, H in spontaneously breathing convalescing infants is due to ventilatory immaturity with associated respiratory pauses or brief apneas, and has a characteristic pattern of brief desaturation from a normoxic baseline followed by reoxygenation and return to normoxia. This study will assess IH only during spontaneous breathing in infants after resolution of acute morbidities or need for supplemental O2, and approaching term-equivalent age, a time when IH has been shown by other studies to be the consequence of immature breathing regulation.
IH during spontaneous breathing related to ventilatory immaturity requires continuous high resolution pulse oximetry recordings for detection, and consists of brief, repetitive cycles of O2 desaturation from a normoxic baseline, followed by return to baseline saturations. These repetitive cycles of reoxygenation following each IH episode are pro-inflammatory and cause oxidative stress, free radical production, and release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Studies show increased levels of inflammatory biomarkers in animal models of IH-associated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and in human subjects with OSA. Although inflammatory biomarkers may be elevated in the first 2-3 postnatal weeks in very preterm infants who develop BPD and neurodevelopmental sequelae, it is unknown if later IH during spontaneous breathing in convalescing preterm infants is associated with inflammation or other biochemical, structural or metabolic acute injury or adverse consequences.
Clinically unrecognized IH events are still common after discontinuing routine caffeine treatment, typically at 34-35 weeks PMA. Except for 1 study, however, the potential adverse consequences of IH have not been investigated in human infants. In obstructive sleep apnea, however, even modest amounts of chronic IH have been associated with significant neurocognitive morbidity. Evidence from animal models also shows that IH has significant and long lasting effects on multiple physiological control mechanisms and neurological outcomes. It's hypothesized that persistent IH in spontaneously breathing preterm infants after stopping routine caffeine treatment is associated with acute adverse consequences.
The relationship between IH, adenosine, caffeine and brain development is complex and not fully understood. At clinically effective doses, caffeine exerts effects in the brain by blocking adenosine (Ado) A1 and A2A receptors, resulting in respiratory stimulation and increased alertness, vigilance and arousal.44-60 Ado A1 receptor activation contributes to hypoxia-induced reduction in cerebral myelination and ventriculomegaly. Caffeine treatment attenuates the effects of hypoxia, presumably through blockade of Ado A1 receptors. It is thus reasonable to hypothesize that similar mechanisms may be active in the human preterm infant. Caffeine may thus be neuroprotective through two major mechanisms: 1) reducing incidence and severity of IH due to its respiratory stimulatory effects, and 2) reducing pre- and immature oligodendrocyte injury.
Brain development progresses through a highly programmed series of events. Myelination in the cerebral hemispheres begins to accelerate at ~30-32 wks and continues to term and beyond, and disturbances in these late gestation developmental processes often result in failure of normal brain growth, abnormal cortical organization, impaired myelination, and connectivity, commonly observed in surviving preterm infants. Persisting IH thus has even greater potential for later neurodevelopmental disability than the IH associated with obstructive sleep apnea. Since IH can be attenuated with extended caffeine, persisting IH may thus be a modifiable cause of a previously unrecognized additional risk for disabilities associated with preterm birth.
The period from 33-35 to 42 weeks PMA is a critical time for brain development, and is also a time when significant IH during spontaneous breathing is present, but the adverse effects of this IH are unknown. As the 1st step in understanding acute injury from IH, the investigators address a fundamental and critically important question with high potential public health benefit: does continued caffeine treatment after receiving the last dose of routine caffeine at 32 weeks + 0 days PMA and 36 weeks + 5 days PMA reduce extent of IH and attenuate indicators of acute injury at 43-44 wks PMA? The investigators will assess injury in 4 domains: biochemical (inflammation), structural (MRI), functional and metabolic (MRS). Our proposed study thus has the potential to have major impacts on clinical practice: 1) how clinicians assess and interpret IH, and 2) duration of pharmacological treatment with caffeine. This will be the 1st study in human infants to assess the effects of continuing caffeine treatment in attenuating acute injury indicators associated with IH.
- Conditions
- Intermittent Hypoxia
- Being tested
- Caffeine, Placebos
- Keywords
- Caffeine, Prematurity
- Medical subject headings
- Premature Birth
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
CaffeineDrug
Infants will be started on oral caffeine base at 5 mg/kg/day. At 36 weeks + 0 days PMA drug dose will be increased to 5 mg/kg BID (total daily dose 10 mg/kg). Dose will be weight-adjusted weekly until NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) discharge. After discharge, all new doses will be calculated from the last weight recorded prior to discharge. The research pharmacy will prepare a bulk oral solution with active drug (caffeine base). While in the hospital, a daily 24-hour supply will be prepared and dispensed. For home administration of study drug, the research pharmacy at each clinical site will prepare and dispense a sufficient quantity of caffeine base solution for outpatient treatment up to 42 weeks + 6 days.
PlacebosDrug
SyrSpend SF Unflavored will be used as the placebo for the control group infants. The volume of the placebo will match the volume of the study drug.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Extended Caffeine Treatment | Experimental | Infants in the extended caffeine treatment arm will, beginning the next day after stopping routine caffeine treatment, receive 5 mg/kg/day of caffeine base and increase to 5 mg/kg/twice-a-day (BID) of caffeine base beginning at 36 weeks + 0 days PMA and continuing the BID doses through 42 weeks + 6 days PMA. Receives: Drug: Caffeine |
| Placebo | Placebo comparator | Infants in the placebo arm will, beginning the next day after stopping routine caffeine treatment, receive the equivalent (to study drug) volume of placebo daily and increase to the equivalent (to study drug) volume placebo BID through 42 weeks + 6 days PMA. Receives: Drug: Placebos |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Compare the extent of IH exposure, from randomization through 42 weeks + 6 days PMA (within each gestational week and overall), in infants randomized to extended caffeine treatment to infants assigned to receive placebo.
Extent of IH as measured by seconds below 90% saturation per 24 hours of recorded oximetry data within each week PMA
Measured: Randomization to 42 weeks PMA (post menstrual age)
Compare changes in a panel of inflammation-related cytokines and chemokines, from enrollment to the target age of 38 weeks + 0 days PMA, in infants randomized to extended caffeine treatment to infants assigned to receive placebo.
Plasma concentration of each inflammatory biomarkers between baseline and 38 weeks + 0 days PMA in caffeine-treated compared to placebo-treated infants measured by blood sample. Bulk analyses of inflammatory biomarker plasma concentrations will be performed at Children's National Medical Center using a commercially available 40-plex V-Plex ELISA multi-spot assay (MesoScale Diagnostics, Rockville, MD) to measure inflammation-related proteins from different functional categories of cytokines and chemokines, including growth factors, and adhesion molecules, IFN-alpha, IL-6, Gro/CXCL1, IL-1β, IL-4-6, IL-6 receptor, IL-8, IL-10, IL-13, ICAM-1, myeloperoxidase, CRP, MCP, IGFBP-1, MIP-1a, RANTES, and TNFa. Analytes that show strong trends or significance with this assay may be further analyzed with individual ELISA assays, to confirm the original result.
Measured: Inflammatory biomarkers will be measured at study enrollment and again at 38 weeks + 0 days PMA, or within 2 calendar days prior to hospital discharge, whichever comes first.
Compare changes in quantitative MRI structural, microstructural from enrollment to 43-46 weeks PMA, in infants randomized to extended caffeine treatment to infants assigned to receive placebo.
- MRI changes in microstructural measures between baseline and end of study (between 43 weeks + 0 days and 46 weeks + 6 days PMA). MRI acquisition protocols will be standardized and field-tested across all sites in Y1 Q1-3, and MRI calibration studies will be performed to ensure that the MRI scanner properties and parameter settings during the acquisition phase are correct. Conventional MRI studies will be reviewed in a standardized fashion by a pediatric neuroradiologist at each site blinded to study randomization. All MRI data sets will be processed at the Advanced Pediatric Brain Imaging Research Laboratory (DBRL) at Children's National Medical Center. All quantitative MRI outcome measures are continuous and will be performed by a single investigator masked to randomization. Abnormalities of brain development, maturation, the presence of focal destructive ischemic or hemorrhagic lesions, will be documented.
Measured: Quantitative MRI/MRS should be obtained between study enrollment and 3 calendar days after starting study drug and again at a target date of 43 weeks + 0 days, but no later than 46 weeks + 6 days PMA.
Secondary outcomes (2)
Association between Salivary Caffeine concentration and IH outcomes
Examine the association between salivary caffeine concentrations and IH outcomes at the one week post randomization and 40 weeks + 0 days PMA assessments.
Measured: One week post randomization and 40 weeks + 0 days PMA assessments.
Determine whether caffeine effects on changes in inflammatory or MRI biomarkers from baseline to follow-up are mediated by caffeine-related reduced IH.
Changes in inflammatory biomarkers and MRI measures of regional tissue volume between baseline and end of study in relation to IH measures. Bulk analyses of inflammatory biomarker plasma concentrations will be performed at Children's National Medical Center using a commercially available 40-plex V-Plex ELISA multi-spot assay (MesoScale Diagnostics, Rockville, MD) to measure inflammation-related proteins from different functional categories of cytokines and chemokines, including growth factors, and adhesion molecules, IFN-alpha, IL-6, Gro/CXCL1, IL-1β, IL-4-6, IL-6 receptor, IL-8, IL-10, IL-13, ICAM-1, myeloperoxidase, CRP, MCP, IGFBP-1, MIP-1a, RANTES, and TNFa. Analytes that show strong trends or significance with this assay may be further analyzed with individual ELISA assays, to confirm the original result.
Measured: Baseline to follow-up
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted26 Oct 2017
- Study start18 Jan 2019
- Primary completion1 Jun 2023
- Study completion1 Jun 2023
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (4)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Intermittent HypoxiaStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Children's National Research InstituteThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase 2
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded clinical trial A site-stratified randomly-permuted blocked randomization design will be used to ensure balance at each site. Randomization will also be stratified into 2 birth gestational age categories of \<28 wks and 28 wks + 0 days to 30 wks + 6 days gestation to ensure balance. The randomization scheme will be developed by the DCC using specialized software, and clinical sites will be provided appropriate enrollment logs and randomization procedures from the research pharmacy.
- Masking
- Quadruple blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 170 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Children's National Research Institute
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Boston University, Beth Israel Medical Center, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, American SIDS Institute, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Carl Hunt, Children's National Research Institute
- Investigators
- Carl E. Hunt, M.D., Principal investigator, Children's Reserach Institute
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03321734
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- R01HD089289
- Other IDs
- 1R01HD089289-01A1
- Acronym
- ICAF
- Status last verified
- Aug 2023
- First submitted
- 23 Oct 2017
- Last updated
- 1 Sep 2023
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- Yes
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: The Executive Committee will be responsible for developing publication procedures and resolving authorship issues. This study will be conducted in accordance with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Public Access Policy, ensuring that the public has access to the published results of NIH funded research. Scientists are required to submit final peer-reviewed journal manuscripts that arise from NIH funds to PubMed Central upon acceptance for publication. This study will comply with the NIH Data Sharing Policy and Policy on the Dissemination of NIH-Funded Clinical Trial Information and the Clinical Trials Registration and Results Information Submission rule. This trial will be registered at, and results from, submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov. Every attempt will be made to publish results in peer-reviewed journals. Data may be requested from other researchers starting 6 months after the completion of the primary endpoint by contacting the DCC(data collection center).
Publications
Rhein LM, Dobson NR, Darnall RA, Corwin MJ, Heeren TC, Poets CF, McEntire BL, Hunt CE; Caffeine Pilot Study Group. Effects of caffeine on intermittent hypoxia in infants born prematurely: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Pediatr. 2014 Mar;168(3):250-7. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.4371.
PubMed 24445955Dobson NR, Rhein LM, Darnall RA, Corwin MJ, Heeren TC, Eichenwald E, James LP, McEntire BL, Hunt CE; Caffeine Study Group. Caffeine decreases intermittent hypoxia in preterm infants nearing term-equivalent age. J Perinatol. 2017 Oct;37(10):1135-1140. doi: 10.1038/jp.2017.82. Epub 2017 Jul 27.
PubMed 28749480Eichenwald E, Corwin M, McEntire B, Knoblach S, Limperopoulos C, Kapse K, Kerr S, Heeren TC, Ikponmwonba C, Hunt CE; ICAF Study Group. Intermittent hypoxia and caffeine in infants born preterm: the ICAF Randomized Clinical Trial. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2026 Apr 17;111(3):F249-F255. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2025-329230.
PubMed 41285561Erickson G, McAnulty M, Powers C, Luong TL, Dobson NR, Hunt CE. Stability for 6 months and accuracy of a specific enteral caffeine base preparation for a multisite clinical trial. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2023 Aug;89(8):2631-2635. doi: 10.1111/bcp.15739. Epub 2023 Apr 21.
PubMed 37039338
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 1 Sep 2023. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Intermittent Hypoxia and Caffeine in Infants Born Preterm (ICAF)
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03321734
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- ICAF / R01HD089289
- Conditions
- Intermittent Hypoxia
- Keywords
- Caffeine, Prematurity
- Phase
- Phase 2
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 170 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Children's National Research InstituteUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Boston University, Beth Israel Medical Center, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, American SIDS Institute, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
- Study start
- 18 Jan 2019 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Jun 2023 (actual)
- Study completion
- 1 Jun 2023 (actual)
- First posted
- 26 Oct 2017 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Intermittent Hypoxia and Caffeine in Infants Born Preterm (ICAF) Our proposal will address the critical question: is persisting intermittent hypoxia (IH) in preterm infants associated with biochemical, structural, or functional injury, and is this injury attenuated with extended caffeine treatment? The investigators will study the effects of caffeine on IH in 220 preterm infants born at ≤30 weeks + 6 days gestation. Infants who are currently being treated with routine caffeine, and who meet eligibility criteria, will be enrolled between 32 weeks + 0 days and 36 weeks + 6 days PMA. At enrollment, infants will be started on continuous pulse oximeter recording of O2 saturation and heart rate. If, based on standard clinical criteria, the last dose of routine caffeine is given on or before the day the infant is 36 weeks + 5 days PMA, then on the day following their last dose of routine caffeine treatment, infants will be randomized (110/group) to extended caffeine treatment or placebo. Randomized infants should begin receiving study drug (i.e. 5 mg/kg/of caffeine base, or equal volume of placebo) on the day of randomization, but no later than the third calendar day following the last dose of routine caffeine. Prior to 36 weeks + 0 days PMA, study drug will be given once daily (i.e. 5mg/kg/day) and beginning at 36 weeks + 0 days PMA, study drug will be given twice daily (i.e. 10 mg/kg/day). The last dose of study drug will be given at 42 weeks + 6 days PMA. Pulse oximeter recordings will continue 1 additional week after discontinuing study drug. Two caffeine levels will be obtained, the 1st at one week after beginning study drug, and the 2nd at a target date of 40 weeks + 0 days PMA, but no later than the last day of study drug, whether in hospital or at home. Inflammatory biomarkers will be measured at study enrollment and again at 38 weeks + 0 days PMA, or within 2 calendar days prior to hospital discharge, whichever comes first. Quantitative MRI/MRS should be obtained between study enrollment and 3 calendar days after starting study drug and again at a target date of 43 weeks + 0 days, but no later than 46 weeks + 6 days PMA.
Detailed description
Acute morbidities can contribute to adverse neurodevelopment outcomes in preterm infants born at ≤30 wks gestation, but neural damage occurring after resolution of acute morbidities may be more subtle and related to cycles of inflammation and repair in the developing brain. One possible contributor to these more subtle injuries is intermittent hypoxia (IH), defined as repetitive cycles of hypoxia and re-oxygenation, which occur commonly in convalescent premature infants. Caffeine treatment can improve both motor and cognitive neurodevelopmental outcome in premature infants, especially at higher doses, but mechanisms are unclear.The Caffeine for Apnea of Prematurity (CAP) Trial in infants born preterm at <1250 g reported 1) shorter duration of positive pressure ventilation and reduced rate of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in infants treated with caffeine during the early postnatal wks prior to 34-35 wks postmenstrual age (PMA), 2) improved motor function and reduced rates of developmental coordination disorder at 5 years, and 3) diffusion changes by MRI consistent with improved white matter microstructural development. Although potential mechanisms for this caffeine effect were not studied in these reports, a recent study of very preterm infants in postnatal weeks 1-10 showed for the first time a direct link between IH and motor, cognitive and language impairment at 18 months corrected age (adjusted risk gradient p<0.005).Notably, the greatest risk gradient was at postnatal ages 9-10 wk, consistent with a contributory role of later IH present after stopping routine caffeine treatment. These data emphasize the potential importance of recurrent episodes of IH, as convalescing infants approach term-equivalent age, on later cognitive, language and motor impairments.
Studies of IH during the early postnatal wks of life in very preterm infants may be due to other mechanisms, including ineffective ventilation or other acute morbidities. However, H in spontaneously breathing convalescing infants is due to ventilatory immaturity with associated respiratory pauses or brief apneas, and has a characteristic pattern of brief desaturation from a normoxic baseline followed by reoxygenation and return to normoxia. This study will assess IH only during spontaneous breathing in infants after resolution of acute morbidities or need for supplemental O2, and approaching term-equivalent age, a time when IH has been shown by other studies to be the consequence of immature breathing regulation.
IH during spontaneous breathing related to ventilatory immaturity requires continuous high resolution pulse oximetry recordings for detection, and consists of brief, repetitive cycles of O2 desaturation from a normoxic baseline, followed by return to baseline saturations. These repetitive cycles of reoxygenation following each IH episode are pro-inflammatory and cause oxidative stress, free radical production, and release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Studies show increased levels of inflammatory biomarkers in animal models of IH-associated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and in human subjects with OSA. Although inflammatory biomarkers may be elevated in the first 2-3 postnatal weeks in very preterm infants who develop BPD and neurodevelopmental sequelae, it is unknown if later IH during spontaneous breathing in convalescing preterm infants is associated with inflammation or other biochemical, structural or metabolic acute injury or adverse consequences.
Clinically unrecognized IH events are still common after discontinuing routine caffeine treatment, typically at 34-35 weeks PMA. Except for 1 study, however, the potential adverse consequences of IH have not been investigated in human infants. In obstructive sleep apnea, however, even modest amounts of chronic IH have been associated with significant neurocognitive morbidity. Evidence from animal models also shows that IH has significant and long lasting effects on multiple physiological control mechanisms and neurological outcomes. It's hypothesized that persistent IH in spontaneously breathing preterm infants after stopping routine caffeine treatment is associated with acute adverse consequences.
The relationship between IH, adenosine, caffeine and brain development is complex and not fully understood. At clinically effective doses, caffeine exerts effects in the brain by blocking adenosine (Ado) A1 and A2A receptors, resulting in respiratory stimulation and increased alertness, vigilance and arousal.44-60 Ado A1 receptor activation contributes to hypoxia-induced reduction in cerebral myelination and ventriculomegaly. Caffeine treatment attenuates the effects of hypoxia, presumably through blockade of Ado A1 receptors. It is thus reasonable to hypothesize that similar mechanisms may be active in the human preterm infant. Caffeine may thus be neuroprotective through two major mechanisms: 1) reducing incidence and severity of IH due to its respiratory stimulatory effects, and 2) reducing pre- and immature oligodendrocyte injury.
Brain development progresses through a highly programmed series of events. Myelination in the cerebral hemispheres begins to accelerate at ~30-32 wks and continues to term and beyond, and disturbances in these late gestation developmental processes often result in failure of normal brain growth, abnormal cortical organization, impaired myelination, and connectivity, commonly observed in surviving preterm infants. Persisting IH thus has even greater potential for later neurodevelopmental disability than the IH associated with obstructive sleep apnea. Since IH can be attenuated with extended caffeine, persisting IH may thus be a modifiable cause of a previously unrecognized additional risk for disabilities associated with preterm birth.
The period from 33-35 to 42 weeks PMA is a critical time for brain development, and is also a time when significant IH during spontaneous breathing is present, but the adverse effects of this IH are unknown. As the 1st step in understanding acute injury from IH, the investigators address a fundamental and critically important question with high potential public health benefit: does continued caffeine treatment after receiving the last dose of routine caffeine at 32 weeks + 0 days PMA and 36 weeks + 5 days PMA reduce extent of IH and attenuate indicators of acute injury at 43-44 wks PMA? The investigators will assess injury in 4 domains: biochemical (inflammation), structural (MRI), functional and metabolic (MRS). Our proposed study thus has the potential to have major impacts on clinical practice: 1) how clinicians assess and interpret IH, and 2) duration of pharmacological treatment with caffeine. This will be the 1st study in human infants to assess the effects of continuing caffeine treatment in attenuating acute injury indicators associated with IH.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Quadruple blind (participant, care provider, investigator, outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded clinical trial A site-stratified randomly-permuted blocked randomization design will be used to ensure balance at each site. Randomization will also be stratified into 2 birth gestational age categories of <28 wks and 28 wks + 0 days to 30 wks + 6 days gestation to ensure balance. The randomization scheme will be developed by the DCC using specialized software, and clinical sites will be provided appropriate enrollment logs and randomization procedures from the research pharmacy.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Extended Caffeine Treatment | Experimental | Drug: CaffeineInfants in the extended caffeine treatment arm will, beginning the next day after stopping routine caffeine treatment, receive 5 mg/kg/day of caffeine base and increase to 5 mg/kg/twice-a-day (BID) of caffeine base beginning at 36 weeks + 0 days PMA and continuing the BID doses through 42 weeks + 6 days PMA. |
| Placebo | Placebo comparator | Drug: PlacebosInfants in the placebo arm will, beginning the next day after stopping routine caffeine treatment, receive the equivalent (to study drug) volume of placebo daily and increase to the equivalent (to study drug) volume placebo BID through 42 weeks + 6 days PMA. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 32 to 36 weeks
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child
Key inclusion criteria (7 listed)
- Male and female infants born preterm at ≤30 weeks + 6 days post menstrual age
- Current treatment with routine caffeine
- PMA 32 weeks + 0 days - 36 weeks + 6 days
- Anticipated last dose of routine caffeine will be by 36 weeks + 5 days
- At least 12 hours of breathing room air with no ventilatory support other than on room air nasal air flow therapy regardless of flow rate, or on room air and receiving nasal CPAP, and relapse not anticipated.
Key exclusion criteria (7 listed)
- Intraventricular hemorrhage Grade III-IV or cystic periventricular leukomalacia
- Current or prior treatment for seizures
- Current or prior treatment for cardiac arrhythmias
- Known renal or hepatic dysfunction that in the opinion of the investigator would have a clinically relevant impact on caffeine metabolism
- Major malformation, inborn error of metabolism, chromosomal abnormality
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| CaffeineInfants will be started on oral caffeine base at 5 mg/kg/day. At 36 weeks + 0 days PMA drug dose will be increased to 5 mg/kg BID (total daily dose 10 mg/kg). Dose will be weight-adjusted weekly until NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) discharge. After discharge, all new doses will be calculated from the last weight recorded prior to discharge. The research pharmacy will prepare a bulk oral solution with active drug (caffeine base). While in the hospital, a daily 24-hour supply will be prepared and dispensed. For home administration of study drug, the research pharmacy at each clinical site will prepare and dispense a sufficient quantity of caffeine base solution for outpatient treatment up to 42 weeks + 6 days. | Drug | Extended Caffeine Treatment |
| PlacebosSyrSpend SF Unflavored will be used as the placebo for the control group infants. The volume of the placebo will match the volume of the study drug. | Drug | Placebo |
Primary outcome
Compare the extent of IH exposure, from randomization through 42 weeks + 6 days PMA (within each gestational week and overall), in infants randomized to extended caffeine treatment to infants assigned to receive placebo.
Time frame: Randomization to 42 weeks PMA (post menstrual age)
Extent of IH as measured by seconds below 90% saturation per 24 hours of recorded oximetry data within each week PMA
Compare changes in a panel of inflammation-related cytokines and chemokines, from enrollment to the target age of 38 weeks + 0 days PMA, in infants randomized to extended caffeine treatment to infants assigned to receive placebo.
Time frame: Inflammatory biomarkers will be measured at study enrollment and again at 38 weeks + 0 days PMA, or within 2 calendar days prior to hospital discharge, whichever comes first.
Plasma concentration of each inflammatory biomarkers between baseline and 38 weeks + 0 days PMA in caffeine-treated compared to placebo-treated infants measured by blood sample. Bulk analyses of inflammatory biomarker plasma concentrations will be performed at Children's National Medical Center using a commercially available 40-plex V-Plex ELISA multi-spot assay (MesoScale Diagnostics, Rockville, MD) to measure inflammation-related proteins from different functional categories of cytokines and chemokines, including growth factors, and adhesion molecules, IFN-alpha, IL-6, Gro/CXCL1, IL-1β, IL-4-6, IL-6 receptor, IL-8, IL-10, IL-13, ICAM-1, myeloperoxidase, CRP, MCP, IGFBP-1, MIP-1a, RANTES, and TNFa. Analytes that show strong trends or significance with this assay may be further analyzed with individual ELISA assays, to confirm the original result.
Compare changes in quantitative MRI structural, microstructural from enrollment to 43-46 weeks PMA, in infants randomized to extended caffeine treatment to infants assigned to receive placebo.
Time frame: Quantitative MRI/MRS should be obtained between study enrollment and 3 calendar days after starting study drug and again at a target date of 43 weeks + 0 days, but no later than 46 weeks + 6 days PMA.
• MRI changes in microstructural measures between baseline and end of study (between 43 weeks + 0 days and 46 weeks + 6 days PMA). MRI acquisition protocols will be standardized and field-tested across all sites in Y1 Q1-3, and MRI calibration studies will be performed to ensure that the MRI scanner properties and parameter settings during the acquisition phase are correct. Conventional MRI studies will be reviewed in a standardized fashion by a pediatric neuroradiologist at each site blinded to study randomization. All MRI data sets will be processed at the Advanced Pediatric Brain Imaging Research Laboratory (DBRL) at Children's National Medical Center. All quantitative MRI outcome measures are continuous and will be performed by a single investigator masked to randomization. Abnormalities of brain development, maturation, the presence of focal destructive ischemic or hemorrhagic lesions, will be documented.
2 secondary outcomes
Association between Salivary Caffeine concentration and IH outcomes
Time frame: One week post randomization and 40 weeks + 0 days PMA assessments.
Determine whether caffeine effects on changes in inflammatory or MRI biomarkers from baseline to follow-up are mediated by caffeine-related reduced IH.
Time frame: Baseline to follow-up
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 1 Sep 2023.
- Results publication: PubMed 24445955Rhein LM, Dobson NR, Darnall RA, Corwin MJ, Heeren TC, Poets CF, McEntire BL, Hunt CE; Caffeine Pilot Study Group. Effects of caffeine on intermittent hypoxia in infants born prematurely: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Pediatr. 2014 Mar;168(3):250-7. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.4371.
- Results publication: PubMed 28749480Dobson NR, Rhein LM, Darnall RA, Corwin MJ, Heeren TC, Eichenwald E, James LP, McEntire BL, Hunt CE; Caffeine Study Group. Caffeine decreases intermittent hypoxia in preterm infants nearing term-equivalent age. J Perinatol. 2017 Oct;37(10):1135-1140. doi: 10.1038/jp.2017.82. Epub 2017 Jul 27.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 41285561Eichenwald E, Corwin M, McEntire B, Knoblach S, Limperopoulos C, Kapse K, Kerr S, Heeren TC, Ikponmwonba C, Hunt CE; ICAF Study Group. Intermittent hypoxia and caffeine in infants born preterm: the ICAF Randomized Clinical Trial. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2026 Apr 17;111(3):F249-F255. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2025-329230.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 37039338Erickson G, McAnulty M, Powers C, Luong TL, Dobson NR, Hunt CE. Stability for 6 months and accuracy of a specific enteral caffeine base preparation for a multisite clinical trial. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2023 Aug;89(8):2631-2635. doi: 10.1111/bcp.15739. Epub 2023 Apr 21.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. The Executive Committee will be responsible for developing publication procedures and resolving authorship issues. This study will be conducted in accordance with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Public Access Policy, ensuring that the public has access to the published results of NIH funded research. Scientists are required to submit final peer-reviewed journal manuscripts that arise from NIH funds to PubMed Central upon acceptance for publication. This study will comply with the NIH Data Sharing Policy and Policy on the Dissemination of NIH-Funded Clinical Trial Information and the Clinical Trials Registration and Results Information Submission rule. This trial will be registered at, and results from, submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov. Every attempt will be made to publish results in peer-reviewed journals. Data may be requested from other researchers starting 6 months after the completion of the primary endpoint by contacting the DCC(data collection center).
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Carl E. Hunt, M.D. principal investigator
Children's Reserach Institute
15 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A Phase 2 study testing Caffeine in people with Intermittent Hypoxia, run by Children's National Research Institute at 15 sites in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 7 inclusion and 7 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 1 Sep 2023. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 15 sites in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
What does this phase mean?
Phase 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.
Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Compare the extent of IH exposure, from randomization through 42 weeks + 6 days PMA (within each gestational week and overall), in infants randomized to extended caffeine treatment to infants assigned to receive placebo. (time frame: Randomization to 42 weeks PMA (post menstrual age)). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03321734, which also lists 4 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 1 Sep 2023.