_Low
surfactant – Respiratory distress syndrome – usually due to pre-maturity, rarely
due to surfactant protein deficiency (genetic
cause)
�Surfactant is
critical to reduce surface tension and allow lung expansion at the air fluid
interface.
_Inadequate surfactant leads to alveolar collapse on
expiration of air, and difficulty
re-inflating
_Damage to the alveolus leads to cellular injury and
exudation of proteins known as hyaline
membranes (Hyaline membrane disease)
�Continued
injury from ventilation of immature lungs can lead to chronic injury known as
bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
�Steroids
accelerate lung development and surfactant production
_Surfactant can also be administered