Delivery and performance of surfactant replacement therapies to treat pulmonary disorders.

Lung surfactant is crucial for optimal pulmonary function throughout life. An absence or deficiency of surfactant can affect the surfactant pool leading to respiratory distress. Even if the coupling between surfactant dysfunction and the underlying disease is not always well understood, using exogenous surfactants as replacement is usually a standard therapeutic option in respiratory distress. Exogenous surfactants have been extensively studied in animal models and clinical trials. The present article provides an update on the evolution of surfactant therapy, types of surfactant treatment, and development of newer-generation surfactants. The differences in the performance between various surfactants are highlighted and advanced research that has been conducted so far in developing the optimal delivery of surfactant is discussed.