12207 (602) Surfactant Therapy: Matching Practice with Evidence
W. Michael Southgate, MD

Abstract
Many neonatal practitioners today have never known a world without the ability to deliver surfactant to the preterm infant, and would consider surfactant administration about as controversial as whether breast milk is a good thing or whether allowing parents to visit their babies is beneficial. Au contraire! Should we deliver it early? Should we avoid its use if possible? Should we use it late to treat the dreaded (if it exists) surfactant slump?

Learning Objectives
1. Describe the reported benefits of prophylactic surfactant in the preterm infant.
2. Compare prophylactic surfactant to other approaches to preventing respiratory distress syndrome (RDS).
3. Relate the current state of understanding of the rationale for the late administration of surfactant and its protential benefits.