Prophylactic Administration of Porcine-Derived Lung Surfactant Is a Significant Factor in Reducing the Odds for Peri-Intraventricular Haemorrhage in Premature Infants

We hypothesized that prophylactic treatment with a porcine-modified lung surfactant (PLS) reduces the rate of peri-intraventricular haemorrhage (PIVH) more than rescue treatment. We performed a meta-analysis of three prophylactic versus rescue trials conducted with PLS in four countries using individual data. Overall (grades 1–4) or severe (grades 3 and 4) PIVH of 671 newborns was the outcome. A logistic regression analysis was performed. Prophylactic exposure to PLS was a significant independent factor in reducing the incidence of overall (OR 0.65; 95% CI 0.47–0.90) and severe (OR 0.56; 95% CI 0.35–0.89) PIVH. Moreover, for severe PIVH, the adjusted OR for outborn babies exposed to prophylactic treatment with PLS was highly significant (OR 0.11; 95% CI 0.02–to 0.49). The results we obtained show that prophylactic treatment with PLS reduces the rate of PIVH more than rescue treatment.