History of Pulmonary Surfactant Replacement Therapy for Neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome in Korea

• Published in: Journal of Korean medical science 2019, 34(25), , pp.1-11
• Main Authors: Bae, Chong Woo, Kim, Chae Young, Chung, Sung Hoon, Choi, Yong Sung
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: History of Medicine; Humans; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; Premature Birth; Pulmonary Surfactants - therapeutic use; Republic of Korea; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn - drug therapy; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn - pathology; Special; 의학일반
• ISSN: 1011-8934; 1598-6357
• DOI: 10.3346/jkms.2019.34.e175

Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is a disease that is unique to newborn infants. It is caused by a deficiency of pulmonary surfactant (PS), which is usually ready to be activated around the perinatal period. Until RDS was more clearly understood, it was not known why premature infants died from respiratory failure, although pathology revealed hyaline membranes in the alveoli. Surprisingly, the era of PS replacement therapy began only relatively recently. The first clinical trial investigating neonatal RDS was conducted in 1980. Since then, newborn survival has improved dramatically, which has led to significant advances in the field of neonatology. The present comprehensive review addresses PS, from its discovery to the application of artificial PS in newborns with RDS. It also reviews the history of PS in Korea, including its introduction, various commercial products, present and past research, newborn registries, and health insurance issues. Finally, it describes the inception of the Korean Society of Neonatology and future directions of research and treatment.