Abstract
In ten successive pairs of premature (118-122 days) twin fetal lambs endotracheal instillation of natural surfactant in suspension prior to the first breath of one twin prevented the appearance of RDS, and the lungs at autopsy (120 mins. after delivery by C-section) were well-aerated and compliant (Ped.Res. in press). Each control twin (on an alternate basis) received only diluent (water or saline) endotracheally. Each pair of twins was treated identically on volume-respirators (5ml/kg) on room air. All controls died between 23 and 49 minutes, except for two that survived 91 and 97 minutes. The histological development of hyaline membranes proceeded as follows (with some overlap) according to survival time: 1. appearance of shrunken cells with pycnotic nuclei lying free in alveoli; 2. clumping of dead and dying cells in lumina of respiratory and terminal bronchioles; 3. distention of small airways, usually proximal to the epithelial clumps; 4. outpouring of glycogen by bronchiolar epithelial cells; 5. hyaline membranes, initially with extrusion of remaining nuclear debris. Characteristic membranes were present only in animals that survived for more than 90 minutes. Two sets of triplets were studied during the series; each third member was sacrificed prior to the first breath: no lung pathology was found. Of the 10 twins that received NS only one showed two small segments of hyaline membranes; histochemical examination showed that NS had not penetrated into those peripheral units.
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Towers, B., Adams, F., Ikegami, M. et al. 1240 STAGES OF FORMATION OF HYALINE MEMBRANES IN CONTROLLED EXPERIMENTS WITH PREMATURE LAMBS. Pediatr Res 12 (Suppl 4), 570 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197804001-01246
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197804001-01246