RESPIRATORY DISTRESS SYNDROME ( R D S)

This is common problem very often noticed  in very low to extremely low birth weight babies usually below 1200 Gms.The lungs of these babies  can not inflate or deflate like normal babies during respiration due to lack of elasticity in the finer bronchioles &alveoli & is due to a deficiency or abscence of a surfactant.This is in short due to a lack of pulmonary maturity in the intra uterine life where lungs dont breath & are liver like in consistancy. once the lung maturity is satisfactory it is ready for air entry &exit.this happens usually after 28 weeks of pregnancy or the foetal weight is above 1200-1500g.under such circumstances the obstetricians

usually push in inravenous steroids to expedite lung maturity,when the pregnancy threatens for a delivery.the obstetricians will adopt various ways to postpone delivery.If delivery is inevitable &the baby is born with a weight of below 1500 g,the neonate may develope RDS.Though the prognosis is bad mortality is high some surfactants are usually tried,intra tracheally through a catheter via endotracheal tube slowly  drop by drop to fecilitate breathing.The success rate is very small However the following drug may be tried(along with steroid

intravenously)(usually procured &kept ready,in anticipation of a premature delivery)

DRUGS USED IN SURFACTANT REPLACEMENT&THEIR DOSAGE.(can be repeated 6-12 hourly 

intra-tracheally)totally 4 to 8 doses can be given    ;

surventa(bovine)  100 mg /kg/dose                                MEDICAL ALERT 1-800-8170895

 infasurf(calf)        105mg/kg/dose

curosurf(porcine)  100-200mg/kg/dose

alveofact(bovine)   50mg/kg/dose

bles(bovine)          135mg/kg/dose

surfactan(bovine)   100mg/kg/dose                               drselvarajp@yahoo.com