Is surfactant administration via a supraglottic airway device as effective and safe as via a thin catheter in the trachea?

Less invasive techniques for surfactant administration in preterm infants are known to reduce the need for mechanical ventilation, decrease the risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia and improve outcomes for preterm infants. This study compares two methods of surfactant administration performed in a non-tertiary neonatal unit: surfactant administration via a supraglottic airway device and administration into the trachea via a thin catheter.

Adewale Owa
Specialty Doctor
adewale.owa@nhs.net

Olushola Tedimola
Specialty Doctor

Pauline Adiotomre
Consultant

Omobolaji Wilson
Consultant

Vijaya Hebbar
Consultant

Department of Paediatrics, Diana Princess of Wales Hospital, Grimsby

Owa A., Tedimola O., Adiotomre P., Wilson O., Hebbar V. Is surfactant administration via a supraglottic airway device as effective and safe as via a thin catheter in the trachea? Infant2023; 19(5):182-85.

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Keywords

surfactant; less invasive surfactant administration (LISA); preterm; supraglottic airway device

Key points

With proper training, less invasive surfactant administration through supraglottic airway devices can be performed successfully in non-tertiary neonatal units.
Surfactant administration via the i-gel supraglottic airway device is as effective and safe as surfactant administration via a thin catheter in the trachea with a trend towards better success rate and fewer complications.

Also published in Infant:

VOLUME 16/ISSUE 4, JULY 2020

Administration of surfactant via the LISA technique in a level 3 unit in Scotland

The LISA (less invasive surfactant administration) procedure delivers surfactant to infants with respiratory distress syndrome via a fine catheter inserted directly into the trachea while maintaining spontaneous respiration on non-invasive ventilation. Following establishment of a standard operating procedure and the training of senior medical staff, the level 3 neonatal unit at Princess Royal Maternity Hospital, Glasgow, was the first in Scotland to implement this procedure. In this article we discuss our procedures and audit our results over a 15-month period.