title: Treatment of respiratory failure due to respiratory syncytial virus pneumonia with natural surfactant.
abstract: We describe two infants suffering from severe pneumonia caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection and needing mechanical ventilation with both high ventilator settings and a high fraction of inspired oxygen. The severity of the respiratory failure and the possibility of decreased and/or altered surfactant production led us to treat these infants with intratracheal instillation of natural surfactant. This resulted in an improvement of lung compliance and a decrease in the amount of oxygen required to maintain acceptable oxygen saturations. Intratracheal surfactant instillation might, therefore, be useful in the treatment of severe RSV pneumonia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Vos
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Rijtema
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Blanco
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011024:Pneumonia, Viral / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D018357:Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D018113:Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human
chemical_list: D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants