Surfactant is derived from surface activeagent. It is a natural substance (produced by the body) that consists mainly of fat-protein complexes and is produced by specialized lung cells. The main effect of surfactant is to reduce surface tension in order to facilitate inhalation and prevent the lungs from collapsing during exhalation.
Very immature premature babies have a surfactant deficiency, which can lead to respiratory distress syndrome. Surfactant can be administered as medication directly into the windpipe and thus have a positive effect on gas exchange.
Primary endotracheal intubation (insertion of a breathing tube into the trachea) in premature infants with subsequent surfactant administration via the tube is increasingly being abandoned. Instead, a non-invasive breathing aid such as CPAP is increasingly being used. Surfactant is administered less invasively with the help of a thin catheter, which is placed between the vocal cords of the spontaneously breathing child. These techniques, summarized under the term LISA (“less invasive surfactant administration”), avoid invasive ventilation at best and have a positive effect on neonatal complications.