The use of pulmonary surfactant in children with acute respiratory distress syndrome

Pulmonary surfactant is a complex mixture of lipoproteins synthesized, secreted and recycled by type Ⅱ alveolar cells.The primary function of PS is to minimize the surface tension at the alveolar air-liquid interface.Surfactant dysfunction with quantitative and qualitative abnormalities of both phospholipids and proteins are characteristics of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Exogenous surfactant replacement shows consistent improvements in gas exchange, but had limited success in improving survival.These may be due to variety of aetiologies in ARDS、surfactant compositiones, delivery methods, optimal time and doses.At this time, surfactant therapy cannot be recommended as routine therapy in pediatric ARDS. Key words: Pulmonary surfactant; Children; Acute respiratory distress syndrome