RANDOMIZED CLINICAL-TRIAL OF SURFACTANT PROPHYLAXIS IN RETINOPATHY OFPREMATURITY

Prophylactic lung surfactant is commonly used to reduce the severity o f neonatal respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants. There i s disagreement in the literature regarding the effect of prophylactic ung surfactant on the incidence of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). S ixty-four infants, gestational age 23 to 32 weeks, birth weight 610 to 1250 g, were randomized to receive either intratracheal bovine surfac tant prophylaxis or air control, at our institution, as part of a nati onal double-masked multicenter trial. Forty-eight of these infants sur vived and underwent complete ophthalmologic examinations by a single m asked examiner. ROP data were gathered retrospectively. ROP developed in 19 of the 23 (83%) who received surfactant and 15 of the 25 (60%) c ontrols (P = .1). Analysis of the worst stage of ROP for each infant a lso revealed no difference between the surfactant and control groups ( P = .4). Our retrospective analysis of ROP data in a prospective doubl e-masked randomized study revealed no significant effect of surfactant on the incidence or severity of ROP.