Administration of less invasive surfactant reduces risk of adverse outcomes in preterm infants: JAMA.

A new investigation showed that less invasive surfactant administration  reduces the risks of adverse outcomes in extremely preterm infants. The study was published in JAMA Network Open, 2022. 

Less invasive surfactant administration (LISA) was found to be beneficial for respiratory outcomes in preterm infants. As the OPTIMIST trial found higher mortality rates in premature infants born at 25 to 26 weeks gestational age (GA) receiving surfactant treatment and spontaneously breathing, researchers from Germany, conducted a study to analyze the outcomes in LISA-exposed, highly vulnerable babies born at less than 27 weeks GA. 

A large-scale observational cohort study was conducted by collecting data from 68 tertiary level neonatal intensive care units of the German Neonatal Network  between April 1, 2009, and December 31, 2020. Premature Infants born between 22 weeks 0 days to 26 weeks 6 days of gestation were included in the study. Researchers compared the short-term outcomes among infants receiving LISA within the first 72 hours of life vs infants not receiving LISA. The primary outcomes of the measurement were LISA use rates, use of mechanical ventilation within the first 72 hours which was considered LISA failure, and the association of LISA with outcomes such as death from any cause, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), death, and BPD combined, pneumothorax, retinopathy of prematurity, intracerebral hemorrhage, and periventricular leukomalacia. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to address potential confounding factors.