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. 1984 Jun 2;288(6431):1635–1638. doi: 10.1136/bmj.288.6431.1635

Non-specificity of surfactant deficiency in neonatal respiratory disorders.

D K James, M L Chiswick, A Harkes, M Williams, J Hallworth
PMCID: PMC1441487  PMID: 6426671

Abstract

The phospholipid content of lung fluid taken from 77 babies during the first day of life was studied. Babies with hyaline membrane disease had low concentrations of the surfactant phospholipids phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol, and phosphatidylglycerol. The palmitic acid content in phosphatidylcholine was also lower than normal. Surfactant deficiency was not, however, specific for hyaline membrane disease, as similar phospholipid abnormalities were observed in babies with congenital pneumonia and transient tachypnoea of the newborn. These findings have important clinical implications. They are relevant to research into surfactant substitution and cast doubts on the value of the antenatal phospholipid lung profile of amniotic fluid in predicting the risk of hyaline membrane disease.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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