Partial Liquid Ventilation with Perflubron in Premature Infants with Severe Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Surfactant therapy has substantially improved the survival of premature infants with respiratory distress syndrome 1 but is not uniformly effective. Ventilation with perfluorocarbon liquids improves lung function in conditions involving surfactant deficiency and dysfunction, including respiratory distress syndrome, 2 – 4 congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 5 , 6 and adult respiratory distress syndrome. 7 , 8 Perfluorocarbon liquids have low surface tension (14 to 18 dyn per centimeter) and high density (1.7 to 1.9 mg per milliliter), and at atmospheric pressure, large amounts of oxygen and carbon dioxide dissolve in them. Replacement of the gas functional residual capacity by perfluorocarbon liquid eliminates the alveolar-membrane air–liquid interface, reduces surface . . .