Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Clinical Trial
. 1996 Sep;51(9):907-13.
doi: 10.1136/thx.51.9.907.

Measurement of pulmonary status and surfactant protein levels during dexamethasone treatment of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome

Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Measurement of pulmonary status and surfactant protein levels during dexamethasone treatment of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome

J Y Wang et al. Thorax. 1996 Sep.

Abstract

Background: Early postnatal use of dexamethasone in infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) has been shown effectively to improve pulmonary status and to allow early weaning off mechanical ventilation. However, the mechanisms to explain the beneficial effects of dexamethasone in ventilatory dependent preterm infants remain unclear.

Methods: A double blind, placebo controlled study was performed to determine the change in pulmonary ventilation of premature infants with RDS as a result of dexamethasone treatment, and to evaluate the effect of dexamethasone on the levels of surfactant-associated proteins A (SP-A) and D (SP-D) in the tracheal fluid from 34 premature infants with RDS and 29 control subjects.

Results: Dexamethasone treatment decreased fractional inspired oxygen concentration (FIO2), arterial carbon dioxide tension (PCO2), mean airway pressure (MAP), and facilitated successful weaning from mechanical ventilation. SP-A concentrations in the tracheal aspirates were increased at days 7 and 14, and SP-D concentrations were increased during the period from days 3 to 14 in the dexamethasone treated group compared with the control group. However, albumin levels in the tracheal aspirate samples were decreased after dexamethasone treatment over the period from days 3 to 14. There was an inverse correlation between PCO2 values and SP-A concentrations.

Conclusions: These results suggest that early use of dexamethasone can improve pulmonary status and also increase SP-A and SP-D levels in the tracheal fluid in premature infants with RDS.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

  • Steroids, surfactant and lung disease.
    Postle AD, Warner JO. Postle AD, et al. Thorax. 1996 Sep;51(9):880-1. doi: 10.1136/thx.51.9.880. Thorax. 1996. PMID: 8984696 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1975 May;111(5):657-88 - PubMed
    1. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 1994 Jan;10(1):30-7 - PubMed
    1. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1976 May;73(5):1730-4 - PubMed
    1. Lancet. 1983 Jun 18;1(8338):1356-8 - PubMed
    1. J Appl Physiol (1985). 1987 Aug;63(2):692-8 - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms