The stable bubble test

Idiopathic Respiratory Distress Syndrome (I.R.D.S.) occurs mainly in preterm babies (Halliday and McClure, 1976). The cause of the condition is a deficiency of surfactant in the fetal lung. (Avery and Mead, 1959). The condition, if untreated, is associated with high fetal mortality. A simple test, The Bubble Stability Test, which can predict the possibility of I.R.D.S. occuring is now in use in the University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka. An analysis of the use of the Bubble Stability Test in fifty cases is presented. In our series a positive Bubble Stability Test accurately predicted fetal lung maturity.