Surfactant treatment of an infant with acute idiopathic pulmonary hemorrhage

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Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Surfactant Depletion Combined with Injurious Ventilation Results in a Reproducible Model of the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)
06:22

Surfactant Depletion Combined with Injurious Ventilation Results in a Reproducible Model of the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)

Published on: April 7, 2021

Tara M Neumayr1, Andrea M Watson, Mark E Wylam

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA.

Pediatric Critical Care Medicine : a Journal of the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies
|May 15, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Surfactant therapy successfully treated respiratory distress in a 4-week-old infant with pulmonary hemorrhage. This approach may help infants avoid more intensive treatments like ECMO.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Medicine
  • Pediatric Critical Care
  • Respiratory Physiology

Background:

  • Pulmonary hemorrhage is a rare but serious condition in infants.
  • Respiratory distress can be refractory to conventional mechanical ventilation.

Observation:

  • A 4-week-old infant presented with severe respiratory distress due to pulmonary hemorrhage.
  • The infant's condition did not improve with standard mechanical ventilation.

Findings:

  • Surfactant administration led to a 50% reduction in the oxygenation index.
  • The infant showed clinical improvement and was successfully extubated.

Implications:

  • Surfactant therapy is a potential treatment for pulmonary hemorrhage in infants.
  • Early surfactant use may prevent the need for advanced respiratory support such as high-frequency oscillation ventilation or ECMO.
Abstract

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