Pilot Trial of Surfactant Therapy For Preterm Neonates 5-21 Days Old With Respiratory Decompensation

Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Prematurity, Lung Disease, Hyaline Membrane, Surfactant

The purpose of the study is to determine whether additional surfactant(Infasurf) doses at 7 to 10 days of life time will improve lung function in premature infants, allowing a decrease in required oxygen concentration and ventilator settings.

Pulmonary surfactant is required for normal lung function. Preliminary data from previous trials suggest that more than half of chronically ventilated premature infants, greater than 1 week of age, have at least one episode of surfactant dysfunction, as measured in vitro, associated with a low surfactant protein B content. We propose to enroll premature infants less than 1250 gm birthweight, between days 5 and 21 of life who are intubated, mechanically ventilated, with a respiratory decompensation, defined as a severity score (mean airway pressure x FIO2) rising from a baseline of \< 1.8 to \> 3.5, sustained for \> 24 hours. Infants will receive two doses of Infasurf surfactant, 12-24 hours apart, at the standard dose of 3 ml/kg. Primary outcome is the change in respiratory severity score at 72 hours post surfactant treatment compared to pre-treatment. Sample size is 31 infants, study duration is 3 years, and recruitment of study patients will occur at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo.

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