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Treatment of severe meconium aspiration syndrome with porcine surfactant

  • Neonatology
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Abstract

Abstract

This study is based on clinical data from a retrospective series of 54 infants with meconium aspiration syndrome treated with porcine surfactant at a median age of 14 h (range 1–176 h). Median arterial/alveolar oxygen tension ratio (a/APO2 ratio) before treatment was 0.08 (range 0.02–0.23) and oxygenation index 25 (range 6–110). After treatment with surfactant at an initial dose of 50–200 mg/kg there was a modest but statistically significant increase in a/APO2 ratio associated with a reduction of oxygenation index. Ten (18%) babies showed a 3–4 fold increase in a/APO2 ratio within 1–2 h of treatment. Twenty-four (44%) babies showed little or no response by 1–2 h with the remaining infants showing modest improvement in oxygenation. One third of babies required repeated doses of surfactant. Twenty-eight day survival was 81%, with two babies requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Conclusion

Natural surfactant treatment of severe meconium aspiration may prove to be a useful intervention and randomised controlled clinical trials should be undertaken.

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Abbreviations

a/APO 2 :

arterial/alveolar oxygen tension ratio

ECMO :

extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

FiO 2 :

fractional inspired oxygen

MAP :

mean airway pressure

OI :

oxygenation index

PIP :

peak inspiratory pressure

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Halliday, H.L., Speer, C.P. & Robertson, B. Treatment of severe meconium aspiration syndrome with porcine surfactant. Eur J Pediatr 155, 1047–1051 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02532529

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02532529

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