Surfactant administration during endotracheal CPAP: Feasibility, risk factors for failure and short-term outcomes of DD-SURF

Aim: Whereas there is agreement that surfactant should be administered without mechanical ventilation, there is still a debate concerning the optimal method. DD-SURF combines the benefits of INSURE and less invasive surfactant administration (LISA). The efficacy of this approach has not been evaluated yet.Methods: Retrospective cohort study of all preterm newborns below 30(0/7) weeks gestational age admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. Data on surfactant therapy, respiratory support during the first 96 h of life and neonatal morbidities until hospital discharge were collected from the electronic patient charts to evaluate the efficacy and safety of our approach.Results: In total, 222 newborns met the inclusion criteria; 174 (78%) received surfactant in the delivery room by the DD-SURF procedure and 21 infants (10%) were not extubated after surfactant administration (Surf-and-vent group). After DD-SURF, 75% of patients did not require reintubation. Intraventricular haemorrhage and bronchopulmonary dysplasia occured more often in infants after DD-SURF failure than after successful DD-SURF.Conclusion: DD-SURF potentially combines the benefits of INSURE and LISA and represents a useful alternative of surfactant delivery with comparable success rates to thin-catheter surfactant administration.

Automated summary

DD-SURF is a novel surfactant administration method that combines the benefits of INSURE and LISA. It has been proven to be effective and safe in reducing the need for mechanical ventilation.