Apnea in infant is

Apnea may be defined as cessation of respiraton for 20s with or without bradycardia and cyanosis or for shoer periods if it is associated with bradycardia and cyanosis.Apnea is a central problem in preterm neonates.It could be central ,obstructive, or mixed. In preterm neonates it occurs in 2-5 th day of life and is because of the immaturity of the developing brain.Central apnea can also occur due to pathological causes like sepsis,metabolic problems,temperature instability,respiratory distress, anemia ,polycytemia. Treatment:suppoive,underlying cause corrected.Drugs used include aminophylline and caffeine. Ref : ESSENTIAL PEDIATRICS,O.P.GHAI,PG NO:146,7th edition