Pulmonary surfactant replacement in respiratory distress syndrome.

Exogenous surfactant therapy in infants with HMD leads to dramatic improvement in oxygenation and disease course. Both prophylactic and rescue treatments have shown a significant reduction in morbidity and mortality from the disease. There are several questions yet to be answered regarding the most effective surfactant, the appropriate time of treatment, and the appropriate dose, as well as the number of treatments required. Based on the available data, surfactant TA has shown promising and consistent results. Another important question to be answered is the role of surfactant in milder cases of HMD and its impact on the cost of hospitalization. Hopefully, future studies will be able to provide answers to these questions.