Therapeutic approach to a child with acute respiratory distress syndrome: a report of two cases.

The course of a respiratory disorder in a child may end up in respiratory failure. There are also acute non-respiratory diseases which have a great influence on the respiratory functions and often lead to the acute lung injury and sometimes to the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). A feature of respiratory function deterioration is changed in the surfactant system. We often see inhibition of its synthesis or damage to its structure. Therapy of children suffering from ARDS should be complex and rapid. Despite many recently published studies explaining the principle of this disorder, the mortality of ARDS is still very high (30-50%). There are several studies documenting successful administration of exogenous surfactant as part of a complex combined therapy of patients with ARDS, which leads to decreased mortality, improved oxygenation, and decreased need for aggressive artificial pulmonary ventilation. The authors of this article present their own experience with administration of exogenous surfactant in therapy of children with ARDS.