ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The study assessed the effect of exogenous surfactant on oxygen and ventilator requirements and long-term prognosis of neonates with respiratory deterioration due to pulmonary hemorrhage. METHODS: From March 2007 to March 2011, neonates with respiratory deterioration due to pulmonary hemorrhage in Saint Mary's Hospital were identified from the database. Among 20 patients with pulmonary hemorrhage, 10 patients received surfactant therapy and the other 10 did not. We compared outcomes of these two groups. The primary outcome was changes in respiratory status following surfactant therapy, as reflected by oxygen index (OI), fractional inspired oxygen (FiO2) and mean airway pressure (MAP). Secondary outcomes were the duration of ventilation, nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP), oxygen inhalation days, progression to severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia or death, and retinopathy of prematurity, which required laser therapy. RESULTS: Surfactant treatment group had higher FiO2, MAP, and OI than the non-treatment group during pulmonary hemorrhage. But, there were no differences in FiO2, MAP, and OI after 2 hours of pulmonary hemorrhage between the two groups. There were no significant side effects during surfactant treatment in the surfactant treatment group. Surfactant treatment group had fewer ventilator days, NCPAP days (P<0.05) and a tendency towards shorter oxygen days than the non-treatment group (P=0.09). Also, the surfactant treatment group had less severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) or death than the non-treatment group (10% vs. 70%, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Exogenous surfactant appears to be a useful adjunctive therapy with neonates of severe respiratory deterioration due to pulmonary hemorrhage. Also, exogenous surfactant treatment dose not seen to be associated with any significant side effects during the therapy.