Abstract
Premature newborn rabbits, delivered on day 27 of gestation, were subjected to positive-pressure ventilation, with or without treatment with natural surfactant. The surfactant, obtained by centrifugation of lung wash from adult rabbits, was deposited in the tracheal cannula before the onset of ventilation. Parameters of lung mechanics, recorded during spontaneous ventilation after 1 h, were significantly improved in animals receiving surfactant. In comparison with littermate controls, surfactant-treated animals also had less prominent bronchiolar epithelial lesions. We conclude that treatment with supplementary surfactant facilitates functional adaptation of the premature lung and prevents the development of epithelial lung lesions during artificial ventilation.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adams FH, Towers B, Osher AB, Ikegami M, Fujiwara T, Nozaki M (1978) Effects of tracheal instillation of natural surfactant in premature lambs: I. Clinical and autopsy findings. Pediatr Res 12: 841–848
Cutz E, Enhörning G, Robertson B, Sherwood WG, Hill DE (1978) Hyaline membrane disease: Effect of surfactant prophylaxis on lung morphology in premature primates. Am J Pathol 92: 581–594
Enhörning G, Grossmann G, Robertson B (1973) Pharyngeal deposition of surfactant in the premature rabbit fetus. Biol Neonate 22: 126–132
Enhörning G, Grossmann G, Robertson B (1973) Tracheal deposition of surfactant before the first breath. Am Rev Respir Dis 107: 921–927
Enhörning G, Hill D, Sherwood G, Cutz E, Robertson B, Bryan C (1978) Improved ventilation of prematurelydelivered primates following tracheal deposition of surfactant. Am J Obstet Gynecol 132: 529–536
Enhörning G, Robertson B (1972) Lung expansion in the premature rabbit fetus after tracheal deposition of surfactant. Pediatrics 50: 58–66
Enhörning G, Robertson B, Milne E, Wagner R (1975) Radiologic evaluation of the premature newborn rabbit after pharyngeal deposition of surfactant. Am J Obstet Gynecol 121: 475–480
Fujiwara T, Chida S, Watabe Y, Maeta H, Morita T, Abe T (1980) Artificial surfactant therapy in hyaline-membrane disease. Lancet 1: 55–59
Grossmann G (1977) Expansion pattern of terminal airspaces in the premature rabbit lung after tracheal deposition of surfactant. Pflügers Arch 367: 205–209
Grossmann G, Robertson B (1975) Lung expansion and the formation of the alveolar lining layer in the fullterm newborn rabbit. Acta Pediatr Scand 64: 7–16
Lachmann B, Grossmann G, Nilsson R, Robertson B (1979) Lung mechanics during spontaneous ventilation in premature and fulltern rabbit neonates. Respir Physiol 38: 283–302
Nilsson R, Grossmann G, Robertson B (1978) Lung surfactant and the pathogenesis of neonatal bronchiolar lesions induced by artificial ventilation. Pediatr Res 12:249–255
Nilsson R, Grossmann G, Robertson B (1980) Pathogenesis of neonatal lung lesions induced by artificial ventilation; evidence against the role of barotrauma. Respiration (in press)
Robertson B (1976) Current and counter-current theories on lung surfactant. Scand J Respir Dis 57: 199–207
Robertson B (1980) Neonatal pulmonary mechanics and morphology following experimental therapeutic regimens. In: Scarpelli EM, Cosmi EV (eds) Reviews in perinatal medicine, vol 4, Raven Press, New York (in press)
Robertson B, Enhörning G (1974) The alveolar lining of the premature newborn rabbit after pharyngeal deposition of surfactant. Lab Invest 31: 54–59
Scarpelli EM (1975) Perinatal respiration. In: Scarpelli EM, Auld PAM (eds) Pulmonary physiology of the fetus, newborn and child. Lea and Febiger, Philadelphia, pp 116–139
Strang LB (1977) Neonatal respiration. Physiological and clinical studies. Blackwell, Oxford
Wallin A, Burgoyne R, Enhörning G (1977) Oxygen consumption of the newborn rabbit treated with pulmonary surfactant. Biol Neonate 31: 245–251
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This work was supported by The Swedish Medical Research Council (Project No. 3351), The Swedish National Association against Heart and Chest Diseases, and Karolinska Institutets fonder
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lachmann, B., Grossmann, G., Nilsson, R. et al. Effect of supplementary surfactant on in vivo lung mechanics in the premature rabbit neonate. Eur J Pediatr 136, 173–179 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00441920
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00441920