| Summary: | Lack of surfactant is the commonest cause of death in preterm infants. Their lungs may contain as little as 10 mg/ kg of surfactant at birth, a tenth of the amount normally found at term. Surfactants (animal origin or synthetic) can reduce mortality by 40% in infants with less than 30 weeks of gestation. Poractant is the surfactant derived from minced porcine lungs, Beractant from minced bovine lungs. Bronchoalveolar lavage with diluted poractant is effective in mechanically ventilated term infants with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome due to meconium aspiration syndrome. Nebulized surfactant and mask airway surfactant do not require intubation. Alternatively, surfactant may be administered via a thin catheter during spontaneous breathing. In conclusion, surfactants reduce the mortality in preterm infants.
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