Minimally invasive surfactant therapy using an adapted 5 Fr feeding tube at a tertiary centre in a low resource setting

Abstract

Abstract: Minimally invasive surfactant therapy (MIST) is increasingly being preferred to the traditional techniques of surfactant replacement therapy (SRT) because the respiratory care of preterm infants has evolved over the past few years to be less invasive. The overall goal is less requirement for mechanical ventilation, reduction in bronchopulmonary dysplasia and ultimately reduced mortality following respiratory distress syndrome. The specially designed catheters, introducers and forceps for surfactant administration will incur additional costs for SRT in a low resource setting where the exorbitantly-priced  surfactant is solely borne by the parents. To facilitate ease of administration and adoption of SRT, this article describes the innovation using low-cost consumables (French size 5 feeding tube and 0.5mm soft dental stainless steel wire as stylet) at a  tertiary public hospital in a low resource setting.