An efficient aerosolization method for surfactant and its surface activity prior and after aerosolization

Intratracheal surfactant replacement therapy in neonatal respiratory distress syndrome has been established in clinical trials. The observation that lung function in ventilated preterm lambs can be improved by treatment with aerosolized surfactant is a promising recent advance (Lewis, JF et al., J. Appl. Physiol. 70: 869-876, 1991). Although more than 95 % of the aerosolized surfactant was lost in the nebulizer, the dose deposited in the lungs (2 mg/kg) seemed as effective as a 25-fold larger dose of surfactant administered by conventional instillation...