Abstract
We injected 16 pregnant does with .1 mg/kg·day betamethasone (B) or vehicle (C) on the 2 days before C-section at day 27. The newborns were tracheostomized and randomly treated with normal saline (Sal), 5, 15, 30, or 50 mg/kg of rabbit surfactant (SA). They were then ventilated for 10 min with a ventilator-plethysmograph at tidal volumes of 12-15 ml/kg. After lung collapse, air pressure-volume inflation (Vi) and deflation (Vd) curves were measured from 0 (V0) to 35 cm H2O (V35) with volumes expressed as mean±SEM for ml/g dry lung wt and lung stability index (LSI) as (2V5±V10-3V0)/(2V35-2V0).
There were significant differences for Vi35, Vd35, Vd15 and compliance between C and B at each dose (p<.01). The similarity of values for LSI between C and B showed that the steroid effect was not related to changing surface tension. Steroids have a threshold and synergistic effect on surfactant at low doses.
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Seidner, S., Pettenazzo, A., Ikegami, M. et al. EFFECT OF CORTICOSTEROIDS ON THE DOSE RESPONSE OF SURFACTANT IN PRETERM RABBITS. Pediatr Res 22, 229 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198708000-00093
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198708000-00093