Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 18, 2026
Lavage-induced Surfactant Depletion in Pigs As a Model of the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)
Published on: September 7, 2016
Small versus large volume dilute surfactant lavage for meconium aspiration syndrome
Han-Yang Hung1, Wai-Tim Jim, Chyong-Hsin Hsu
1Department of Pediatrics, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Background:
Surfactant lavage has been used to treat neonatal meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS).
Objective:
To assess the effects of lavage with a small volume of dilute surfactant in neonates with MAS, and compare the results with those of historical controls treated with larger volumes.
Methods:
From August 2002 to June 2005, we treated 11 newborns with MAS using 20 ml of dilute surfactant at a phospholipid concentration of 10 mg/ml (SVL group). We compared the results with those of 9 infants previously treated with large-volume lavage (LVL group), using 40 ml of dilute surfactant, 5 mg/ml.
Results:
Both groups were similar at baseline except for a higher mean birth weight in the LVL group (3.29+/-0.36 vs 2.92+/-0.4 kg, P = 0.04). The lavage procedure was longer in the LVL than the SVL group (48.89 +/-7.41 vs. 30.91+/-5.83 mins, P <0.001). Measures of oxygenation, including mean PaO2, oxygenation index, and arterial/alveolar 02 ratio, showed no significant difference between the two groups. Adverse events in the LVL group included transient hypoxemia in 3 infants and white- out on chest x-ray in 5 cases. None of the patients in the SVL group had these findings. The peak mean airway pressure in.the LVL group was higher than that in the SVL group (16.0+/-2. 65 vs 13.3+/-3.01 cmH2O, P = 0.046).
Conclusions:
SVL has the same benefits in neonatal MAS as LVL. However, SVL appears to be associated with fewer adverse events.
