Dry artificial lung surfactant and its effect on very premature babies.

Artificial lung surfactant prepared with pure dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylglycerol in a ratio of 7:3 was made as a dry powder and then blown down an endotracheal tube into the lungs of 22 very premature babies at birth. Only one dose was given. The treated babies did better than their 33 controls. Fewer needed ventilation, and those who did required lower pressures in the first six hours of life. None of the treated babies died, compared with 8 of the controls.