title: Surfactant therapy.
abstract: This paper presents the rationale for surfactant replacement therapy. In 6 animal models in which respiratory failure was induced by damaging the bronchial surfactant, surfactant depletion by lung lavage, by free oxygen radicals, by influenza virus and by anti-lung serum, it is demonstrated that surfactant instillation always led to an improvement in gas exchange and lung mechanics. A first clinical trials shows that surfactant instillation also improved lung function in a patient with severe respiratory failure. It is speculated that surfactant replacement therapy will become an acceptable therapeutic measure for treating lung failure in patients suffering with ARDS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lachmann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants / Q000378:metabolism*; D012128:Respiratory Distress Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants