[Results of use of surfactant in complex therapy of patients with destructive pulmonary tuberculosis].

ABSTRACT

Many years' experience in studying the surfactant system in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis has allowed recommendation of using surfactant agents in the treatment of tuberculosis. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of surfactant-BL (Russia) as a pathogenetic agent in chemotherapy in patients with destructive pulmonary tuberculosis. The results of treatment were compared in two groups of 70 persons in each, which were matched by gender, age, the extent of a tuberculous process, and the presence of drug resistance in the causative agent, including multidrug resistance. In the study group, the patients received surfactant inhalations (8 weeks) during chemotherapy while the control patients had only chemotherapy. Drugs were chosen on an individual basis, by taking into account the pathogen's drug sensitivity and a patient's tolerability of a drug. The cumulative dose of the surfactant was 700 mg. There were no adverse reactions to the surfactant in the study group of patients. After 2-5 surfactant inhalations, the amount of sputum increase, its discharge became easier, and cough diminished. Following 4 weeks, the level of bacterial isolation decreased in 49 (70.0%) patients from the study group and in 20 (28.6%) from the control one. Two months of treatment, bacterial isolation ceased in 82.9 and 64.3% in the study and control groups, respectively. In the study group, X-ray trend in infiltration resolution and cavernous closure was significantly better in the study group. By month 4, cavernous closure was achieved in 72.9% in the study group and in 41.4% in the control one. The changes in the cellular composition of the lung in surfactant-treated and untreated patients were analyzed by the data on broncho-alveolar lavage. The findings indicate that inhaled Surfactant-BL as a two-month therapy has a pathogenetic effect and during chemotherapy improves the efficiency of treatment reduces its time in pulmonary tuberculosis.