Survanta is a medication designed for premature infants. This treatment is a lung surfactant, a substance that helps the lungs function properly. Survanta aims to support the delicate lungs of newborns who arrive too early. This medication is available only in hospitals equipped to care for premature babies.
Understanding Respiratory Distress Syndrome
Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) is a breathing disorder commonly observed in premature infants. This condition occurs because a baby’s lungs are not fully developed before birth. The lungs of healthy newborns contain a natural substance called surfactant, which reduces surface tension in the tiny air sacs, called alveoli, allowing them to remain open.
Premature infants often lack sufficient amounts of this natural lung surfactant. Without enough surfactant, the alveoli collapse with each exhalation, making breathing difficult and requiring significant effort. This deficiency can lead to insufficient oxygen uptake and various breathing challenges, which is why interventions like Survanta become necessary.
How Survanta Works
Survanta, known generically as beractant, functions as a replacement for the natural lung surfactant that premature infants often lack. This medication is a natural bovine lung extract, derived from the lungs of young cows. It contains a mixture of phospholipids, neutral lipids, fatty acids, and surfactant-associated proteins. These components are balanced with additional synthetic lipids to standardize its composition and mimic the properties of natural lung surfactant.
The primary mechanism of Survanta involves reducing surface tension within the alveoli, the small air sacs in the lungs. By lowering this surface tension, Survanta prevents the alveoli from collapsing during exhalation, stabilizing them and improving lung compliance. This action allows more air to enter the lungs and facilitates better oxygen absorption. Survanta is administered directly into the lungs through the trachea. Each dose is usually divided into quarter-doses, with the infant’s body repositioned to ensure even distribution throughout the lungs.
Benefits and Potential Side Effects
Survanta offers significant benefits for premature infants with Respiratory Distress Syndrome, including improved lung function and reduced need for mechanical ventilation. It also helps decrease the incidence of RDS, mortality related to RDS, and complications such as air leaks. Oxygenation improves significantly within minutes of administration, leading to a decreased need for supplemental oxygen.
Despite its benefits, Survanta can have potential side effects, most of which occur during the administration procedure. Common reactions include transient bradycardia, a temporary slowing of the heart rate, and oxygen desaturation, a decrease in blood oxygen levels. Other less frequent side effects can include endotracheal tube reflux, pallor, vasoconstriction, or temporary airway obstruction. Medical staff closely monitor infants during and after administration to manage these reactions by temporarily stopping the dosing or adjusting oxygen and ventilator support as needed.