Cerebroelectrical depression following surfactant treatment in preterm neonates

During surfactant treatment of respiratory distress syndrome, 23 premature newborns were investigated with continuous amplitude-integrated electroencephalography (cerebral function monitors). Simultaneously, arterial blood pressure and transcutaneous blood gas values were recorded. A short ( .05), but they had a significantly lower mean arterial blood pressure after surfactant instillation (P < .05). No other differences were found between neonates in whom intraventricular hemorrhage developed and those without intraventricular hemorrhage. The present findings demonstrate that an acute cerebral dysfunction may occur after surfactant instillation. In some vulnerable neonates with arterial hypotension and severe pulmonary immaturity, the fall in mean arterial blood pressure may increase the risk of cerebral complications and could be related to an unchanged rate of intraventricular hemorrhage after surfactant treatment. Pediatrics 1992;89:643-647