Prophylactic adminstration of surfactant in extremely premature infants

Objective: To investigate whether prophylactic surfactant administration is superior over selective treatment in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Methods: In our retrospective analysis, we compared premature infants (23+0 to 26+6 weeks) receiving 200mg/kg surfactant (curosurf®) within five minutes after birth (prophylactic group, N=31) with those infants who received surfactant therapy for established RDS (selective group, N=34). Results: Prophylactic therapy significantly decreased the need for mechanical ventilation (74h per patient vs. 171h per patient, respectively). We observed a re…