Background surfactant replacement therapy is an established modality of treatment in preterm neonates with respiratory distress syndrome. Pulmonary surfactant is a substance that prevents the air sacs of the lungs from collapsing by reducing surface tension. First dose needs to be given as soon as diagnosis of rds is made. Surfactant therapy substantially reduces mortality and respiratory morbidity for this population. Lung surfactant makes it easier for oxygen to penetrate the lung surface lining and move into the blood. Surfactant replacement therapy for neonates better safer. Surfactant therapy is the medical administration of exogenous surfactant. Smt was done in 22 of 40 infants, and surfactant insufficiency was suspected in. Pulmonary surfactant in newborn infants and children. Early administration of surfactant to intubated infants with respiratory distress syndrome rds is desirable. Early administration of exogenous surfactant via the endotracheal tube to premature infants significantly reduces the severity of rds. Early surfactant therapy and noninvasive ventilation. Although newer delivery mechanisms and strategies are being studied, the classic surfactant administration paradigm consists of endotracheal intubation.
In addition, there are various neonatal respiratory. Currently, exogenous surfactant therapy in adults with ards has failed to demonstrate any beneficial effect on outcome of either mortality or ventilatorfree days. Discuss with the piper consultant 0 7 650 when considering surfactant therapy prior to transfer to a level 6 neonatal unit. The debate over which surfactant to be used, when and what is the best mode of delivery is still raging. Surfactant replacement therapy is now an integral part of the care of neonates since several clinical trials of natural surfactant extracts and synthetic preparations have shown efficacy in the treatment of infants with hyaline membrane disease. A comparison of postmortem pulmonary histology in treated and untreated infants. Exogenous surfactant therapy substantially reduces mortality and respiratory morbidity. Surfactant reduced both neonatal mortality and pulmonary air leaks by about 50%.
Avery and mead in 1959, commented on the deficiency of a surface active material in the alveolar linings of the lungs of preterm babies with respiratory distress syndrome rds. Natural surfactant is produced by the alveolar cells in the lungs and line mainly the alveoli and small bronchioles, and prevents the alveoli from collapsing. When a baby comes out of the womb and the lungs are not developed yet, they require administration of surfactant in order to process oxygen and survive. Halliday in 1959 avery and mead demonstrated that surfactant deficiency was a key feature in the pathogenesis of respiratory distress syndrome rds. Surfactant therapy in neonates with respiratory deterioration due to pulmonary hemorrhage. Access to xray and blood gas facilities is essential when considering the use of surfactant therapy. Pdf surfactant replacement therapy beyond respiratory. The efficacy of surfactant preparations used in the prevention and treatment of respiratory distress syndrome rds is a well known fact. The mixture is surface active and acts to decrease surface tension at the airliquid interface of the alveoli.
Surfactant replacement therapy beyond respiratory distress syndrome in neonates article pdf available in indian pediatrics 533. If surfactant therapy is to be given before transport, which may be beneficial given the distances to referral hospitals in some parts of canada, the health care workers must be skilled in neonatal intubation, understand the changes in lung compliance and ventilation that can occur following surfactant use, and know the potential shortterm. The efficacy of surfactant therapy for neonatal distress syndrome may be associated with gestational age, apgar score, birth weight, starting time of surfactant therapy and maternal steroid therapy. In the last 30 years surfactant replacement with exogenous surfactant preparations derived from animal sources became the most effective evidencebased therapy for rds.
Lack of surfactant was described as the cause of respiratory distress syndrome rds in preterm infants 60 years ago. Recommendations for neonatal surfactant therapy canadian. Many of the known risk factors for rds do not predict surfactant requirement. Minisymposium neonates surfactant therapy in the newborn c. Surfactants used in this manner are typically instilled directly into the trachea.
Infants were excluded if any other cause was found to explain their deterioration. Respiratory distress syndrome rds is a major disease burden in the developing countries. The surfactant is indicated in all neonates with rds. The role of surfactant treatment in preterm infants and. Surfactant in preterm infants introduction pulmonary surfactant is a complex mixture of phospholipids and proteins that serves to reduce alveolar surface tension. In an effort to circumvent this problem, techniques of minimally invasive surfactant therapy have recently been investigated, aiming to administer surfactant to spontaneously breathing infants, allowing them to remain on cpap in the critical first days after birth and, hopefully, beyond. Surfactant replacement therapy for preterm and term. Both cpap and surfactant therapy are effective in management of preterm infants with rds. Current evidence supports early continuous positive airway pressure cpap use and early selective surfactant administration as the most efficacious interventions in the management of rds, both in developed and developing countries. The aim of this guideline is to outline the principles of surfactant replacement therapy and the safe administration of surfactant in neonates in the butterfly ward newborn intensive care unit nicu definition of terms neonate infant less than 28 days old. The infants in the prophylaxis group received a 90mg intratracheal dose of an exogenous calflung surfactant extract at the time of delivery, whereas the infants in the rescue therapy group. Use of cpap and surfactant therapy in newborns with.
Respiratory distress syndrome in newborn and surfactant. Surfactant was the first drug developed solely for treatment of neonates. A new clinical respiratory distress score for surfactant. The shortterm risks of surfactant replacement therapy bradycardia and hypoxemia during instillation, blockage of the endotracheal tube increase in pulmonary hemorrhage following surfactanttreatment however, mortality ascribed to pulmonary hemorrhage is not increased and overall mortality is lower after surfactant therapy. Synthetic surfactant is effective in reducing respiratory distress syndrome in preterm babies. Purpose and definitions surfactant therapy is given to minimise atelectasis and reduce the work of breathing. Results for surfactant in neonates 1 10 of 93 sorted by relevance date.
Surfactant replacement therapy for preterm and term neonates with respiratory distress. Sometimes it is absent in immature lungs and respiratory distress syndrome rds can develop. Synthetic surfactant for respiratory distress syndrome in. Respiratory failure secondary to surfactant deficiency is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in preterm neonates. Lung surfactants are made from animal lung extract and contain phospholipids. Surfactant therapy an overview sciencedirect topics. Clinical practice guideline guideline coverage includes. Surfactant therapy in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome and in nearterm or term newborns with acute rds. Prophylactic or very early surfactant administration in very. Summary pulmonary surfactant is a complex mixture of specific lipids, proteins and carbohydrates, which is produced in the lungs by type ii alveolar epithelial cells. This surface active material was later termed as surfactant, which is a. Surfactant therapy is the standard care for infants. Brian walsh discusses the use of surfactant replacement therapy in the treatment of preterm and term neonates suffering from respiratory distress syndrome rds.
Of these 40 infants, fio 2 could be reduced in 36 90% by an average of 0. Pulmonary haemorrhage in the neonate wales deanery. Update in surfactant therapy american academy of pediatrics. With the increasing use of ncpap as primary therapy for preterm infants, many of whom have significant. The efficacy of surfactant replacement therapy is better when it is administered early in the course of disease. Surfactant replacement therapy in neonatal respiratory distress syndrome should be started as soon as possible after birth. The primary outcome was change in respiratory status following surfactant therapy, as reflected by oxygenation index oi and arterialalveolar oxygen ratio. There was no significant difference in the risk of mortality between the use of proteincontaining synthetic surfactant compared to natural surfactants rr 0.
In newly born preterm babies who have or are at risk of respiratory distress syndrome p, is surfactant therapy i, compared with routine care without surfactants c, effective in reducing adverse newborn outcomes o. It is formed by type ii pneumocytes from about 20 weeks of gestation. Surfactant replacement therapy in preterm neonates. Surfactant creates a continuously reforming surface layer. Pdf surfactant therapy in neonatal respiratory distress. Respiratory distress syndrome rds is the most common respiratory morbidity in very low birth weight vlbw preterm infants. How early should the surfactant therapy be started. Pulmonary haemorrhage in the neonate r narasimhan s papworth abstract pulmonary haemorrhage ph in a sick neonate is a lifethreatening complication and is often associated with a high mortality. Click export csv or ris to download the entire page or use the checkboxes to select a subset of records to download export. Etiology of surfactant inactivation or dysfunction. Bolus surfactant therapy by tracheal catheterization, another method of administering surfactant while avoiding ventilation, has been developed in german neonatal units. In all three strategies, surfactant therapy improves mortality and morbidity in preterm infants when compared to untreated patients however, clinical trials. Surfactant replacement therapy for rds early rescue therapy should be practiced. Respiratory failure secondary to surfactant deficiency is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in preterm infants.
This outcome is achieved by reducing the surface tension and promoting alveolar. Nasal continuous positive airway pressure and early surfactant therapy for respiratory distress syndrome in newborns of less than 30 weeks gestation. Surfactant therapy pulmonary hemorrhage can be life threatening prompt treatment is critical for improved outcomes references. In neonates with rds, surfactant therapy has proven to be efficacious, and in pediatric patients with ards, exogenous surfactant has reduced morbidity and mortality. Surfactant replacement therapy srt has a proven role in the treatment of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome and severe meconium aspiration syndrome in infants, and may have a role in the treatment of pediatric patients with ards. Surfactant replacement was established as an effective and safe therapy for immaturityrelated surfactant deficiency by the early 1990s. By reflecting on the successes of surfactant therapy for rds and examining critically the current evidence base for surfactant therapy in other neonatal pulmonary diseases, the authors chart a course for the future of surfactant therapy in neonatology. Surfactant treatment has been shown by careful randomised trials to reduce the mortality and morbidity of very premature babies. The technique involves placement of a fine intratracheal catheter while babies keep spontaneously breathing on ncpap. Early therapy, which is administered by two hours of age frequently before the diagnosis of rds rescue surfactant therapy, which is given once the diagnosis of rds is established. Oxygen requirement and surfactant therapy in preterm. Rds in a premature infant is defined as respiratory distress requiring more than 30% oxygen delivered by. Surfactant replacement therapy for respiratory distress syndrome rds in preterm infants is a major breakthrough in neonatal medicine. This video shows administration of surfactant in nicu by dr ajay agade surfactant is a novel and revolutionary therapy in management of respiratory distress syndrome in neonates.