Abstract
Surfactant-replacement therapy is a life-saving treatment for preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome, a disorder characterized by surfactant deficiency. Repletion with exogenous surfactant decreases mortality and thoracic air leaks and is a standard practice in the developed world. In addition to respiratory distress syndrome, other neonatal respiratory disorders are characterized by surfactant deficiency, which may result from decreased synthesis or inactivation. Two of these disorders, meconium aspiration syndrome and bronchopulmonary dysplasia, might also be amenable to surfactant-replacement therapy. This paper discusses the use of surfactant-replacement therapy beyond respiratory distress syndrome and examines the evidence to date.
- newborn
- prematurity
- surfactant
- respiratory failure
- meconium aspiration syndrome
- bronchopulmonary dysplasia
Footnotes
- Correspondence: Steven M Donn MD, Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, F5790, Mott Children's' Hospital, University of Michigan Health System, 1500 E Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor MI 48109-0254. E-mail: smdonnmd{at}med.umich.edu.
Dr Donn presented a version of this manuscript at the New Horizons Symposium, “Neonatal Respiratory Care,” at the International Respiratory Congress of the American Association for Respiratory Care, at the 54th International Respiratory Congress of the American Association for Respiratory Care, held December 13-16, 2008, in Anaheim, California.
- Copyright © 2009 by Daedalus Enterprises Inc.
