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Lung surfactants

Mandana Ghodrat1

  • 1Emory Crawford Long Hospital, Atlanta, GA, USA.

American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy : AJHP : Official Journal of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
|August 10, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Exogenous lung surfactants significantly reduce respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in infants. Natural surfactants show better outcomes than synthetic ones, though synthetic options offer supply advantages.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Medicine
  • Pulmonology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is a major concern in premature infants.
  • Exogenous lung surfactants are crucial for managing neonatal RDS.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the pharmacology, clinical efficacy, and cost of exogenous lung surfactants.
  • To compare the effectiveness of natural and synthetic surfactant preparations.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on exogenous lung surfactants.
  • Analysis of clinical trial data comparing different surfactant types.

Main Results:

  • Exogenous surfactants, particularly natural ones, reduce RDS incidence and complications.
  • Natural surfactants demonstrate superior outcomes in reducing ventilator support, pneumothorax, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and mortality compared to synthetic surfactants.
  • Rescue therapy within two hours of birth is as effective as prophylaxis for most premature infants.

Conclusions:

  • Exogenous pulmonary surfactants are vital in neonatal care, significantly improving outcomes for infants with RDS.
  • Natural surfactants generally outperform synthetic options in clinical efficacy, despite synthetic agents offering advantages in supply and consistency.
  • Advancements in surfactant therapy and ventilatory care have dramatically improved infant survival rates.
Abstract

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