Prophylactic administration of porcine-derived lung surfactant is a significant factor in reducing the odds for peri-intraventricular haemorrhage in premature infants.

We hypothesized that prophylactic treatment with a porcine-modified lung surfactant (PLS) reduces the rate of peri-intraventricular haemorrhage (PIVH) more than rescue treatment. We performed a meta-analysis of three prophylactic versus rescue trials conducted with PLS in four countries using individual data. Overall (grades 1-4) or severe (grades 3 and 4) PIVH of 671 newborns was the outcome. A logistic regression analysis was performed. Prophylactic exposure to PLS was a significant independent factor in reducing the incidence of overall (OR 0.65; 95% CI 0.47-0.90) and severe (OR 0.56; 95% CI 0.35-0.89) PIVH. Moreover, for severe PIVH, the adjusted OR for outborn babies exposed to prophylactic treatment with PLS was highly significant (OR 0.11; 95% CI 0.02-to 0.49). The results we obtained show that prophylactic treatment with PLS reduces the rate of PIVH more than rescue treatment. Copyright 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel