After the first observation of surfactant deficiency in infantswho were dying of the respiratory distress syndrome (also knownas hyaline membrane disease), a series of investigations ledto effective therapies, including surfactant therapy given atbirth. These therapies, in turn, have led to a dramatic decreasein mortality associated with the respiratory distress syndrome,from nearly 100 percent to less than 10 percent. Most infantswho die from the syndrome are preterm. Surfactant therapy isusually not required beyond the first day of life, because theturnover of surfactant is slow in newborns, and the rapid differentiationof alveolar . . . [Full Text of this Article]
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From the Biocenter Oulu and the Department of Pediatrics, University of Oulu both in Oulu, Finland.
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