PENTOXIFYLLINE TREATMENT OF SEPSIS OF PREMATURE-INFANTS - PRELIMINARYCLINICAL OBSERVATIONS

Pentoxifylline (Trental, 5 mg/kg/h for 6 h) was administered to 17 pre mature infants with sepsis, on 3 successive days. A statistically sign ificant decrease in mortality rate (P < 0.04) was observed in comparis on to a retrospectively analysed group of 13 septic infants, who were treated in a comparative way but without the use of a pentoxifylline i nfusion. The suggestion that pentoxifylline may be an effective drug i n the treatment of Gram-negative sepsis in premature infants should be tested in a double-blind, randomized study.