Background: Surfactant treatment reduces respiratory morbidity and mortality in preterm infants. Data on its haemodynamic consequences are conflicting. The aim was to characterise the haemodynamic effects of surfactant treatment on cardiac function in preterm newborns with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS).
Methods: Preterm infants (gestational age <34 weeks, birth weight <2000 g) with RDS, who received surfactant within 72 hours of life, were recruited.Echocardiography was performed before surfactant, and 2 and 24 hours after. Left and right ventricular peak systolic, early diastolic and late diastolic myocardial velocities were measured using Tissue Doppler Imaging (TDI), while characteristics of the ductus arteriosus, pulmonary artery pressure, right ventricular (RVO) and left ventricular output were measured by standard echocardiography. Tricuspidal Annular Plane Systolic Excursion (TAPSE) was measured on the free wall of the tricuspid annulus.
Results: Fourteen patients were studied. Surfactant was associated with a decrease in pulmonary pressure and an increase in RVO. The improvement of right ventricular function was also confirmed by a significant increase in right peak systolic velocity and in TAPSE. Left ventricular velocities did not change significantly after surfactant.
Conclusions: Surfactant administration in preterm infants with RDS did not impair myocardial contractility and was followed by increased RVO, in agreement with other parameters of right ventricular function. TDI and TAPSE appeared to be reliable and feasible in this population. The addition of TDI and TAPSE to standard neonatal echocardiography may provide additional information about cardiac function.