Treatment of caffeine intoxication by exchange transfusion in a newborn

The symptoms of acute poisoning after accidental administration of ten times the usually prescribed dosage of caffeine in a premature infant included the following neurological signs: incessant tremors, hypertonia, continuous opisthotonos posture, whining and crying and digestive disturbances. The very high serum caffeine levels, 160 mg/l, determined 66 hours after the first administration was confirmed by the very high cerebrospinal fluid caffeine concentration 115 mg/l. Two exchange transfusions performed at an interval of 16 hours produced a large decrease in serum caffeine levels of approximately 40 mg/l each time, and a similar decrease in the cerebrospinal fluid concentration. The clinical status of the infant improved very rapidly and the child's psychomotor development was normal at 3 months of age.