Supraglottic airway devices for surfactant treatment: systematic review and meta-analysis

To compare surfactant administration via supraglottic airway device (SAD) vs. nasal CPAP alone or INSURE.

A systematic search of PubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Clinicaltrials.gov was performed. Articles meeting inclusion criteria (RCT, surfactant administration via SAD, laryngeal mask, I-gel) were assessed RESULTS: Five RCTs were eligible. Surfactant administration via SAD reduced the need for intubation/mechanical ventilation (RR 0.57, 95%CI 0.38-0.85) and short-term oxygen requirements (MD -8.00, 95%CI -11.09 to -4.91) compared to nCPAP alone. Surfactant administration via SAD reduced the need for intubation/mechanical ventilation (RR 0.43, 95%CI 0.31-0.61), but increased short-term oxygen requirements (MD 3.10, 95%CI 0.51-5.69) compared to INSURE approach.

In preterm infants with RDS, surfactant administration via SAD reduces the need for intubation/mechanical ventilation. Overall, available literature includes few, small, poor-quality studies. Surfactant administration via SAD should be limited to clinical trials.