Pharmacoeconomic evaluation of different doses of Curosurf for treating neonatal acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Neonatal acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a serious stage of acute lung injury (ALI) which can be treated by exogenous surfactant. The aim of this study was to explore the clinical efficacy of two different doses of Poractant alfa (Curosurf®) for treating neonatal ARDS and to perform an economic evaluation. Fifty-four patients were divided into Group A (high dose) and Group B (low dose). Pharmacoeconomic evaluation was performed on the two groups regarding the treatment expenses, and the output was the cure rate and complication rate. There were significant differences between Group A and Group B for the duration of receiving oxygen therapy in moderate cases (6.4±3.5d:8.9±2.6d) (P<0.05) and severe cases (10.0±2.6d:14.8±1.3d) (P<0.05). There were significant differences between them for the duration of undergoing mechanical ventilation in severe cases (1.7±2.3d:5.5±2.4d) (P=0.01). There was a significant difference between Group A and Group B for hospitalization expenses in severe cases (P<0.05). There were no significant differences between them in all types of cases for the cure rate (P>0.05). A high dose of Curosurf had an advantage in treating neonatal ARDS, especially in severe cases, with lower final costs and better effects.

The effectiveness of the neonatal diagnosis-related group scheme.

The goal of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of the neonatal diagnosis-related group scheme in patients affected by respiratory distress syndrome. The variable costs of individual patients in the same group are examined. This study uses the data of infants (N = 243) hospitalized in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the Gaslini Children's Hospital in Italy in 2016. The care unit's operating and management costs are employed to estimate the average cost per patient. Operating costs include those related to personnel, drugs, medical supplies, treatment tools, examinations, radiology, and laboratory services. Management costs relate to administration, maintenance, and depreciation cost of medical equipment. Cluster analysis and Tobit regression are employed, allowing for the assessment of the total cost per patient per day taking into account the main cost determinants: birth weight, gestational age, and discharge status. The findings highlight great variability in the costs for patients in the same diagnosis-related group, ranging from a minimum of €267 to a maximum of €265,669. This suggests the inefficiency of the diagnosis-related group system. Patients with very low birth weight incurred costs approximately twice the reimbursement set by the policy; a loss of €36,420 is estimated for every surviving baby with a birth weight lower than 1,170 grams. On the contrary, at term, newborns cost about €20,000 less than the diagnosis-related group reimbursement. The actual system benefits hospitals that mainly treat term infants with respiratory distress syndrome and penalizes hospitals taking care of very low birth weight patients. As a result, strategic behavior and "up-coding" might occur. We conduct a cluster analysis that suggests a birth weight adjustment to determine new fees that would be fairer than the current costs.

Antenatal corticosteroid administration in late-preterm gestations: a cost-effectiveness analysis.

Objective: To evaluate whether administration of antenatal late-preterm betamethasone is cost-effective in the immediate neonatal period.Study design: Cost-effectiveness analysis of late-preterm betamethasone administration with a time horizon of 7.5 days was conducted using a health-system perspective. Data for neonatal outcomes, including respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN), and hypoglycemia, were from the Antenatal Betamethasone for Women at Risk for Late-Preterm Delivery trial. Cost data were derived from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project from the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, and utilities of neonatal outcomes were from the literature. Outcomes were total costs in 2017 United States dollars and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) for each individual infant as well as for a theoretical cohort of the 270 000 late-preterm infants born in 2015 in the USA.Results: For an individual patient, compared to withholding betamethasone, administering betamethasone incurred a higher total cost ($6592 versus $6265) and marginally lower QALYs (0.02002 QALYS versus 0.02006 QALYs) within the studied time horizon. For the theoretical cohort of 270 000 patients, administration of betamethasone was $88 million more expensive ($1780 million versus $1692 million) with lower QALYs (5402 QALYs versus 5416 QALYs), compared to withholding betamethasone. For administration of betamethasone to be cost-effective, the rate of hypoglycemia, RDS, or TTN among late-preterm infants receiving betamethasone would need to be less than 20.0, 4.5, and 2.4%, respectively.Conclusion: Administration of betamethasone in the late-preterm period is likely not cost-effective in the short-term.

Clinical and Economic Analysis of Morphine Versus Fentanyl in Managing Ventilated Neonates With Respiratory Distress Syndrome in the Intensive Care Setting.

PURPOSE: Morphine and fentanyl opioids are common analgesic agents for consideration in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for neonates with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and undergoing mechanical ventilation (MV). The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and economic impact of morphine versus fentanyl in neonates with RDS undergoing MV. METHODS: Retrospective cost-effectiveness analysis of critically ill neonates with RDS receiving standard doses of morphine versus fentanyl at Women's Wellness and Research Center, Qatar. Clinical data of neonates were extracted from medical records of patients from 2014 to 2016. A decision analytic model based on the hospital's perspective was constructed to follow possible consequences of the initial dosing of analgesia, before potential titration. Primary end points were successful pain relief rate based on the Premature Infant Pain Profile scale and overall direct medical cost of therapy. Study population of 126 neonates was used to achieve results with 80% power and 0.05 significance. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to enhance robustness of conclusions against input uncertainties and to increase generalizability of results. FINDINGS: Morphine achieved a success of 68% versus 43% with fentanyl (risk ratio = 1.72; 95% CI, 1.16-2.56; P = 0.0075). Morphine was associated with a minimal incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of USD 135 per additional case of successful pain relief over fentanyl. Higher morphine cost was reported in 2% of cases. Sensitivity analysis found model insensitivity to input uncertainties except NICU stay and cost of MV. IMPLICATIONS: This is the first cost-effectiveness evaluation of morphine versus fentanyl in the NICU. Morphine significantly improved the relieve of pain over fentanyl. It had 98% probability of dominance over fentanyl. Results in this study support the use of morphine over fentanyl as first-line monotherapy with MV in NICU settings.

Cost-effectiveness of Antenatal Corticosteroid Therapy vs No Therapy in Women at Risk of Late Preterm Delivery: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Administration of corticosteroids to women at high risk for delivery in the late preterm period (34-36 weeks' gestation) improves short-term neonatal outcomes. The cost implications of this intervention are not known. Objective: To compare the cost-effectiveness of treatment with antenatal corticosteroids with no treatment for women at risk for late preterm delivery. Design, Setting, and Participants: This secondary analysis of the Antenatal Late Preterm Steroids trial, a multicenter randomized clinical trial of antenatal corticosteroids vs placebo in women at risk for late preterm delivery conducted from October 30, 2010, to February 27, 2015. took a third-party payer perspective. Maternal costs were based on Medicaid rates and included those of betamethasone, as well as the outpatient visits or inpatient stay required to administer betamethasone. All direct medical costs for newborn care were included. For infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit, comprehensive daily costs were stratified by the acuity of respiratory illness. For infants admitted to the regular newborn nursery, nationally representative cost estimates from the literature were used. Effectiveness was measured as the proportion of infants without the primary outcome of the study: a composite of treatment in the first 72 hours of continuous positive airway pressure or high-flow nasal cannula for 2 hours or more, supplemental oxygen with a fraction of inspired oxygen of 30% or more for 4 hours or more, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation or mechanical ventilation. This secondary analysis was initially started in June 2016 and revision of the analysis began in May 2017. Exposures: Betamethasone treatment. Main Outcomes and Measures: Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. Results: Costs were determined for 1426 mother-infant pairs in the betamethasone group (mean [SD] maternal age, 28.6 [6.3] years; 827 [58.0%] white) and 1395 mother-infant pairs in the placebo group (mean [SD] maternal age, 27.9 [6.2] years; 794 [56.9%] white). Treatment with betamethasone was associated with a total mean (SD) woman-infant-pair cost of $4681 ($5798), which was significantly less than the mean (SD) amount of $5379 ($8422) for women and infants in the placebo group (difference, $698; 95% CI, $186-$1257; P = .02). The Antenatal Late Preterm Steroids trial determined that betamethasone use is effective: respiratory morbidity decreased by 2.9% (95% CI, -0.5% to -5.4%). Thus, the cost-effectiveness ratio was -$23 986 per case of respiratory morbidity averted. Inspection of the bootstrap replications confirmed that treatment was the dominant strategy in 5000 samples (98.8%). Sensitivity analyses showed that these results held under most assumptions. Conclusions and Relevance: The findings suggest that antenatal betamethasone treatment is associated with a statistically significant decrease in health care costs and with improved outcomes; thus, this treatment may be an economically desirable strategy.

Evaluating the efficacy of Seattle-PAP for the respiratory support of premature neonates: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: At birth, the majority of neonates born at <30 weeks of gestation require respiratory support to facilitate transition and ensure adequate gas exchange. Although the optimal approach to the initial respiratory management is uncertain, the American Academy of Pediatrics endorses noninvasive respiratory support with nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) for premature neonates with respiratory insufficiency. Despite evidence for its use, nCPAP failure, requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation, is common. Recently, investigators have described a novel method to deliver bubble nCPAP, termed Seattle-PAP. While preclinical and pilot studies are encouraging regarding the potential value of Seattle-PAP, a large trial is needed to compare Seattle-PAP directly with the current standard of care for bubble nCPAP (Fisher & Paykel CPAP or FP-CPAP). METHODS/DESIGN: We designed a multicenter, non-blinded, randomized controlled trial that will enroll 230 premature infants (220/7 to 296/7 weeks of gestation). Infants will be randomized to receive Seattle-PAP or FP-CPAP. The primary outcome is respiratory failure requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation. Secondary outcomes include measures of short- and long-term respiratory morbidity and cost-effectiveness. DISCUSSION: This trial will assess whether Seattle-PAP is more efficacious and cost-effective than FP-CPAP in real-world practice among premature neonates. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03085329 . Registered on 21 March 2017.

Resource utilization patterns using non-invasive ventilation in neonates with respiratory distress syndrome.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the frequency of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) and endotracheal intubation use in neonates diagnosed with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS); to describe resources utilization (length of stay (LOS), charges, costs) among NIV and intubated RDS groups. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study from the national Kid's Inpatient Database of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, for the years 1997-2012. Propensity scoring and multivariate regression analysis used to describe differences. RESULTS: A total of 595,254 out of 42,912,090 cases were identified with RDS. There was an increase in NIV use from 6% in 1997 to 17% in 2012. After matching, patients receiving NIV only were associated with shorter LOS: (95%CI) 25 (25.3,25.7) vs. 35 (34.2,34.9) days, decreased costs: ($/1k) 46.1 (45.5,46.8) vs. 65.0 (64.1,66.0), decreased charges: 130.3 (128.6,132.1) vs. 192.1 (189.5,194.6) compared to intubated neonates. CONCLUSION: There was a three-fold increase in NIV use within the 15-year study period. NIV use was associated with decreased LOS, charges and costs compared to intubated patients.

Treatment Patterns and Clinical Outcomes in Neonates Diagnosed With Respiratory Distress Syndrome in a Low-Income Country: A Report From Bangladesh.

Respiratory distress syndrome remains a leading cause of neonatal mortality worldwide. This retrospective study describes practice patterns for respiratory distress syndrome in a resource-limited setting and seeks to identify both risk factors for mortality and beneficial treatment modalities. Health, demographic, and treatment data were collected. Potential associations were analyzed using univariable and multivariable logistic regression. Of 104 children included for analysis, 38 died. Although most children were initially treated with noninvasive respiratory support, 59 progressed to invasive ventilation. Requirement for invasive ventilation was associated with death. A clear trend toward improved survival in mechanically ventilated patients was seen with surfactant administration.

Short-term costs of preeclampsia to the United States health care system.

BACKGROUND: Preeclampsia is a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality and adverse neonatal outcomes. Little is known about the extent of the health and cost burden of preeclampsia in the United States. OBJECTIVE: This study sought to quantify the annual epidemiological and health care cost burden of preeclampsia to both mothers and infants in the United States in 2012. STUDY DESIGN: We used epidemiological and econometric methods to assess the annual cost of preeclampsia in the United States using a combination of population-based and administrative data sets: the National Center for Health Statistics Vital Statistics on Births, the California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative Databases, the US Health Care Cost and Utilization Project database, and a commercial claims data set. RESULTS: Preeclampsia increased the probability of an adverse event from 4.6% to 10.1% for mothers and from 7.8% to 15.4% for infants while lowering gestational age by 1.7 weeks (P < .001). Overall, the total cost burden of preeclampsia during the first 12 months after birth was $1.03 billion for mothers and $1.15 billion for infants. The cost burden per infant is dependent on gestational age, ranging from $150,000 at 26 weeks gestational age to $1311 at 36 weeks gestational age. CONCLUSION: In 2012, the cost of preeclampsia within the first 12 months of delivery was $2.18 billion in the United States ($1.03 billion for mothers and $1.15 billion for infants), and was disproportionately borne by births of low gestational age.

Respiratory distress in term neonates in low-resource settings.

Most neonatal deaths worldwide occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Respiratory distress is an important cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. The epidemiology of respiratory distress among term neonates who constitute the vast majority of births is under reported. The scarcely available data from LMICs suggest an incidence of 1.2% to 7.2% among term live births and greater morbidity compared to that in high-income countries. Pneumonia and meconium aspiration syndrome are the predominant causes among outborn neonates, but next only to transient tachypnea among inborn neonates. Community management of neonatal sepsis/pneumonia using simplified antibiotic regimens when referral is not feasible, implementation of non-invasive ventilation, and innovative low-cost technologies to deliver respiratory therapy are important advances that have taken place in these settings. There is an urgent need to generate data on respiratory morbidities among term neonates so that the limited resources in these settings can be allocated judiciously.

Economic and health consequences of non-invasive respiratory support in newborn infants: a difference-in-difference analysis using data from the Norwegian patient registry.

BACKGROUND: Newborn infants with respiratory failure are often treated with intubation and mechanical ventilation for prolonged periods of time. Our objective was to evaluate whether increasing use of non-invasive respiratory support in newborn infants can improve patient health and reduce costs. METHODS: We utilized a natural experiment that took place in October 2008 when a large neonatal intensive care unit in Norway moved into a new hospital building with new medical equipment. A change in respiratory support towards increasing use of nasal biphasic positive airway pressure (n-BiPAP) instead of invasive mechanical ventilation treatment followed the acquisition of the new equipment. We used a difference-in-difference method and data from the Norwegian National Patient Registry to assess morbidity, mortality, number of hospital days and hospital costs in our unit following this change. We stratified the results according to gestational age groups. RESULTS: We found a reduction in morbidity including bronchopulmonary dysplasia, retinopathy of prematurity and intraventricular hemorrhage. No change in mortality was found. We found a reduction in number of hospital days and hospital costs for preterm infants with gestational age <28 weeks and for term infants with diagnoses affecting respiration. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that increasing use of n-BiPAP may improve health and reduce costs. However, more research is needed to establish best practice. Comparing hospitals where treatment practices change to hospitals where the same change does not occur may be a useful way to evaluate the efficacy of such a change, especially when hospitals can be studied over time.

Analysis of the cost-effectiveness of surfactant treatment (Curosurf®) in respiratory distress syndrome therapy in preterm infants: early treatment compared to late treatment.

BACKGROUND: The best criteria for surfactant treatment in the perinatal period are unknown and this makes it of interest to consider the possible economic implications of lessening the use of more restrictive criteria. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is the evaluation of the costs of respiratory care for preterm infants with Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) treated with "early rescue" surfactant compared to a "late rescue" strategy. METHODS: The study was carried out applying the costs of materials used, of staff and pharmacological therapy calculated in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of an Italian hospital to the Verder et al. study (Pediatrics 1999) clinical data. RESULTS: The cost for patients treated with early strategy was slightly lower than for patients treated with late strategy (Euro 4,901.70 vs. Euro 4,960.07). The cost of treatment with surfactant was greater in the early group (Euro 458.49 vs. Euro 311.74), but this was compensated by the greater cost of treatment with Mechanical Ventilation (MV) in the late group (respectively Euro 108.85 vs. Euro 259.25). CONCLUSIONS: The cost-effectiveness analysis performed in this study shows how early treatment with surfactant in preterm infants with RDS, as well as being clinically more effective, is associated with a slightly lower cost.

Direct medical costs of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome in two specialized public hospitals in Mexico.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate direct medical costs (DMC) associated with treatment of Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) in newborns (NB) in two specialized public hospitals in Mexico. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The perspective used was health care payer. We estimated DMC associated with RDS management. The pattern of resource use was established by reviewing clinical records. Microcosting and bootstrap techniques were used to obtain the DMC. Estimated costs were reported in 2011 US dollars. RESULTS: Average DMC per RDS event was 14 226 USD. The most significant items that account for this cost were hospitalization (38%), laboratory and diagnostic exams (18%), incubator time (10%), surfactant therapy (7%), and mechanical ventilation (7%). CONCLUSION: Average DMC in NB with RDS fluctuated in relation to gestational age weight at birth and clinical complications presented by patients during their hospitalization.

Economics and ethics of paediatric respiratory extra corporeal life support.

Extra corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a form of life support, which facilitates gas exchange outside the body via an oxygenator and a centrifugal pumping system. A paediatric cardiac ECMO programme was established in 2005 at Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin (OLCHC) and to date 75 patients have received ECMO, the majority being post operative cardiac patients. The outcome data compares favourably with international figures. ECMO has been most successful in the treatment of newborn infants with life threatening respiratory failure from conditions such as meconium aspiration, respiratory distress syndrome and respiratory infections. There is no formal paediatric respiratory ECMO programme at OLCHC, or anywhere else in Ireland. Currently, neonates requiring respiratory ECMO are transferred to centres in Sweden or the UK at an average cost of 133,000 Euros/infant, funded by the Health Service Executive E112 treatment abroad scheme. There is considerable morbidity associated with the transfer of critically ill infants, as well as significant psycho-social impact on families. OLCHC is not funded to provide respiratory ECMO, although the equipment and expertise required are similar to cardiac ECMO and are currently in place. The average cost of an ECMO run at OLCHC is 65,000 Euros. There is now a strong argument for a fully funded single national cardiac and respiratory paediatric ECMO centre, similar to that for adult patients.

Cost-effectiveness of early compared to late inhaled nitric oxide therapy in near-term infants.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the cost-effectiveness of early versus late inhaled nitric oxide (INO) therapy in neonates with hypoxic respiratory failure initially managed on conventional mechanical ventilation. RESEARCH DESIGN: A decision analytic model was created to compare the use of early INO compared to delayed INO for neonates receiving mechanical ventilation due to hypoxic respiratory failure. The perspective of the model was that of a hospital. Patients who did not respond to either early or delayed INO were assumed to have been treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). The effectiveness measure was defined as a neonate discharged alive without requiring ECMO therapy. A Monte Carlo simulation of 10,000 cases was conducted using first and second order probabilistic analysis. Direct medical costs that differed between early versus delayed INO treatment were estimated until time to hospital discharge. The proportion of successfully treated patients and costs were determined from the probabilistic sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: The mean (± SD) effectiveness rate for early INO was 0.75 (± 0.08) and 0.61 (± 0.09) for delayed INO. The mean hospital cost for early INO was $21,462 (± $2695) and $27,226 (± $3532) for delayed INO. In 87% of scenarios, early INO dominated delayed INO by being both more effective and less costly. The acceptability curve between products demonstrated that early INO had over a 90% probability of being the most cost-effective treatment across a wide range of willingness to pay values. CONCLUSIONS: This analysis indicated that early INO therapy was cost-effective in neonates with hypoxic respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation compared to delayed INO by reducing the probability of developing severe hypoxic respiratory failure. There was a 90% or higher probability that early INO was more cost-effective than delayed INO across a wide range of willingness to pay values in this analysis.

Effective gas exchange in paralyzed juvenile rabbits using simple, inexpensive respiratory support devices.

We have developed two devices: a high-amplitude bubble continuous positive airway pressure (HAB-CPAP) and an inexpensive bubble intermittent mandatory ventilator (B-IMV) to test the hypotheses that simple, inexpensive devices can provide gas exchange similar to that of bubble CPAP (B-CPAP) and conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV). Twelve paralyzed juvenile rabbits were intubated, stabilized on CMV, and then switched to CPAP. On identical mean airway pressures (MAPs), animals were unable to maintain pulse oximeter oxygen saturation (SpO2) >80% on conventional B-CPAP, but all animals oxygenated well (97.3 ± 2.1%) on HAB-CPAP. In fact, arterial partial pressures of O2 (Pao2) were higher during HAB-CPAP than during CMV (p = 0.01). After repeated lung lavages, arterial partial pressures of CO2 (Paco2) were lower with B-IMV than with CMV (p < 0.0001), despite identical ventilator settings. In lavaged animals, when HAB-CPAP was compared with CMV at the same MAP and 100% O2, no differences were observed in Pao2, but Paco2 levels were higher with HAB-CPAP (70 ± 7 versus 50 ± 5 mm Hg; p < 0.05). Arterial blood pressures were not impaired by HAB-CPAP or B-IMV. The results confirm that simple inexpensive devices can provide respiratory support in the face of severe lung disease and could extend the use of respiratory support for preterm infants into severely resource-limited settings.

Continuous positive airway pressure therapy for infants with respiratory distress in non tertiary care centers: a randomized, controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to determine whether continuous positive airway pressure therapy would safely reduce the need for up-transfer of infants with respiratory distress from nontertiary centers. METHODS: We randomly assigned 300 infants at >30 weeks of gestation with respiratory distress to receive either Hudson prong bubble continuous positive airway pressure therapy or headbox oxygen treatment (standard care). The primary end point was "up-transfer or treatment failure." Secondary end points included death, length of nursery stay, time receiving oxygen therapy, cost of care, and other measures of morbidity. RESULTS: Of 151 infants who received continuous positive airway pressure therapy, 35 either were up-transferred or experienced treatment failure, as did 60 of the 149 infants given headbox oxygen treatment. There was no difference in the length of stay or the duration of oxygen treatment. For every 6 infants treated with continuous positive airway pressure therapy, there was an estimated cost saving of $10,000. Pneumothorax was identified for 14 infants in the continuous positive airway pressure group and 5 in the headbox group. There was no difference in any other measure of morbidity or death. CONCLUSIONS: Hudson prong bubble continuous positive airway pressure therapy reduces the need for up-transfer of infants with respiratory distress in nontertiary centers. There is a clinically relevant but not statistically significant increase in the risk of pneumothorax. There are significant benefits associated with continuous positive airway pressure use in larger nontertiary centers.

Cost effectiveness of prevention and treatment of neonatal respiratory distress (RDS) with exogenous surfactant: what has changed in the last three decades?

In 1993, exogenous surfactant products were emerging as licensed treatments for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), a leading cause of death in preterm newborn babies. Models of cost-effectiveness of alternative treatments showed surfactant to be an expensive but effective and also cost effective treatment. However the most efficient policy for use of surfactant depended on other parallel 'technologies' such as giving antenatal corticosteroids where preterm delivery is anticipated. Following introduction into clinical practice, questions changed from whether to use surfactant, to when, and which product to use. The early models of cost effectiveness were dependent on the neonatal technology in use, and on the costs of neonatal care and prices of surfactant at the time. Little information was available about long term outcomes. The aims of this paper are to summarise the role of surfactant in the economics of newborn care since the late 1980s; to observe the value of studies published in the early 1990s for current decisions; and to comment on recent and possible future economic studies of neonatal surfactant.

Respiratory consequences of preterm birth.

Approximately 8% of Australia's 250,000 annual births occur preterm (before 37 weeks completed gestation). Preterm infants represent 75% of all neonatal deaths in Australia, with the vast majority of these deaths caused by pulmonary disease. 2. The respiratory consequences for survivors of preterm birth include the immediate challenges of breathing with underdeveloped lungs, usually manifest as respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), and, in the long term, with persisting pulmonary abnormalities. Therapies to prevent neonatal lung disease now permit survival of preterm infants born as early as 22 weeks gestational age, but not without consequences. 3. Preterm infants are at risk of developing chronic lung disease/bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). The lungs of infants dying from BPD are inflamed and have fewer, larger alveoli than normal and exhibit abnormal pulmonary vascular development. There is now a growing appreciation of the contribution of intrauterine inflammation to the aetiology of BPD. 4. Impaired airway function is commonly reported in follow-up studies of children born preterm. Decreased expiratory flow rates have been associated with preterm birth per se, but airway function appears more affected in survivors of RDS and BPD. Observations in survivors of BPD suggest persisting abnormalities in the structure of the lung parenchyma and airways. 5. Follow-up studies of preterm infants into adulthood are lacking, as are experimental examinations of the long-term physiological and anatomical effects of preterm birth. Both are necessary to understand the causes of the long-term respiratory consequences of preterm birth.