The New Zealand medical journal
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Respiratory distress syndrome in New Zealand: evidence from the OSIRIS trial of exogenous surfactant (Exosurf).
To assess the impact, mortality, morbidity and economic costs, of respiratory distress syndrome severe enough to warrant ventilation in one year in New Zealand. ⋯ In a full year (total births 60,000) approximately 350 New Zealand infants may require ventilation for respiratory distress syndrome. Increasing the percentage of infants who receive antenatal steroids is likely to be extremely cost effective. In the era of antenatal steroids and exogenous surfactant, 85% of infants with respiratory distress syndrome requiring ventilation survive to discharge home and over 90% of survivors are likely to be healthy normal adults.