Impact of Early Surfactant Administration on Ductus Arteriosus Assessed at 24 h in Preterm Neonates Less than 32 Weeks of Gestational Age.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether early surfactant administration affects the status of ductus arteriosus (DA) in preterm infants ≤ 32 weeks of gestational age (GA) within 24 h of birth. It is a prospective study conducted from 1 March 2022 to 31 December 2023 in a tertiary academic center. In-born infants ≤ 32 weeks of gestation (n = 88) were enrolled. The study group was further divided into surfactant (n = 44) and non-surfactant (n = 44) subgroups. A total of 76% of the preterm infants who received surfactant therapy (RRR = 0.839) recorded an increase in Kindler score at 24 h of life (1 - RR = 1 - 0.24 = 76%). Surfactant administration was significantly associated with decreased pre-ductal diastolic pressure (29.9 mmHg vs. 34.8 mmHg, p = 0.0231), post-ductal diastolic pressure (28.7 mmHg vs. 32.2 mmHg, p = 0.0178), pre-ductal MAP (41.6 mmHg vs. 46.5 mmHg, p = 0.0210), and post-ductal MAP (41.0 mmHg vs. 45.3 mmHg, p = 0.0336). There were no significant changes in ductus arteriosus parameters at 24 h of life. Early surfactant administration does not affect the status of ductus arteriosus in preterm infants ≤ 32 weeks of gestational age at 24 h of life.