Use of surfactant in pulmonary disorders in full-term infants.

Pulmonary surfactant is routinely used for treatment of premature babies with respiratory distress syndrome, and its use in full-term infants with respiratory failure is now under extensive clinical investigation. Several clinical reports have shown that intratracheal instillation of large doses of bovine and porcine lung-derived surfactant preparations has the potential to improve blood oxygenation and ventilation efficiency in full-term neonates with respiratory distress syndrome, meconium aspiration syndrome, pneumonia, pulmonary hemorrhage, and lung hypoplasia. These findings are suggestive of secondary surfactant deficiency or surfactant dysfunction in the pathogenesis of respiratory failure in full-term infants. Further clinical investigation with multicenter, randomized, controlled clinical trials is warranted to verify new indications of surfactant application for these diseases.