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Surfactant replacement therapy
Author(s) -
Halliday Henry L.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
pediatric pulmonology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.866
H-Index - 106
eISSN - 1099-0496
pISSN - 8755-6863
DOI - 10.1002/ppul.1950191147
Subject(s) - medicine , pulmonary surfactant , respiratory distress , surfactant therapy , randomized controlled trial , intensive care medicine , clinical trial , respiratory disease , lung , surgery , pregnancy , gestational age , physics , genetics , biology , thermodynamics
Surfactant replacement therapy for treatment or prevention of the respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) has been studied intensively over the past decade. Randomized controlled trials have demonstrated a reduction in the odds of neonatal death of about 40% and of pulmonary air leaks of 35 to 70% depending upon the type of surfactant used. Prophylaxis or very early treatment is superior to later treatment, especially for the very preterm (< 28 week) infant. Natural (derived from animal lungs) surfactants have a more rapid onset of action than synthetic surfactants and may also provide better long‐term benefits, but further comparative trials will be needed to demonstrate this conclusively. Surfactant treatment should not be viewed as a substitute for prenatal steroid therapy to enhance fetal lung maturity; the treatments are synergistic. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.