Comparative study of synthetic and natural-source pulmonary surfactants in the treatment of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome in very low birth weight neonates

To compare synthetic and natural-source pulmonary surfactants (PS) for treating neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS) in very low-birth-weight neonates. A total of 113 neonates with NRDS were retrospectively divided into the natural-source PS group (NSPS, 63 cases) and the synthetic PS group (SPS, 50 cases). Oxygenation, ventilation, complications, efficacy and mortality were compared. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 23.0 to analyze the impact of PS type on the treatment of NRDS in very low birth weight neonates (VLBWIs). Additionally, the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and the area under the curve (AUC) were calculated and evaluated to assess the association and closeness between PS type and the treatment of NRDS in VLBWIs. After treatment, NSPS group had higher arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2), lower arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2) and oxygenation index (OI). It also had shorter ventilation and hospital stay, lower pneumothorax, total-complication and mortality rates and higher effective rate. PS type correlated with complications and efficacy; the closeness (AUC) order was: clinical efficacy > complications. Natural-source PS in treating NRDS in very low-birth-weight neonates improves efficacy, optimizes blood gas, shortens treatment and reduces complications and mortality.