Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), also known as hyaline membrane disease, is an important cause of neonatal and infant mortality. Together with congenital malformations, it is the leading cause of death in preterm infants and is responsible for serious morbidity in survivors, associated with high costs to society. Since 1959 it is known that RDS is caused by lung immaturity with concomitant surfactant deficiency. Numerous small studies and large multicenter trials have demonstrated decreased death rates and complications from RDS as a result of treatment with surfactant. Despite its success however, surfactant therapy is not a panacea. Recent meta-analyses from the available data do not show a consistent decrease in long term pulmonary complications such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia, nor in the major nonpulmonary complications such as intraventricular haemorrhage.

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Medical Research Council (MRC) of Canada
P.J.J. Sauer (Pieter) , D. Tibboel (Dick)
Erasmus University Rotterdam
hdl.handle.net/1765/22047

Zimmermann, L. (1995, November 22). The regulation of CTP:Phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase in fetal type 2 cells. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1765/22047