OBJECTIVES To study the pharmacokinetics of theophylline and its correlations to pharmacodynamic effects in apnea of prematurity in small for gestational age babies. DESIGN Prospective case control study. SETTING Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. SUBJECTS Ten small for gestational age (SGA) babies and 10 gestation matched appropriate for gestational age (AGA) babies with recurrent a...

OBJECTIVE To compare the mortality in babies refused admission to a regional perinatal centre with that in babies accepted for intensive care in the centre. DESIGN Retrospective study with group comparison. SETTING Based at the Royal Maternity Hospital, Belfast, with follow up of patients in all obstetric units in Northern Ireland. PATIENTS Requests for transfer of 675 babies to the regio...

Between July 1979 and June 1980 the regional neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at St Mary's Hospital, Manchester, received 170 requests from maternity units for the transfer of ill newborn babies. Most of the babies were suffering from respiratory failure. The initial request was declined in 65 babies because of overcrowding or lack of facilities at the NICU (n = 59), or because transfer was ...