respiratory distress syndrome

Condition in which a newborn baby's lungs are insufficiently expanded to permit adequate oxygenation. Premature babies are most at risk. Such babies survive with the aid of intravenous fluids and oxygen, sometimes with mechanically assisted ventilation.

Normal inflation of the lungs requires the presence of a substance called surfactant to reduce the surface tension of the alveoli (air sacs) in the lungs. In premature babies, surfactant is deficient and the lungs become hard and glassy. As a result, the breathing is rapid, laboured, and shallow, and there is the likelihood of asphyxia. Artificial surfactant is administered to babies at risk.