At Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi, medical professionals used a brand-new method called surfactant therapy to successfully save the life of a 36-week-old preterm baby. According to doctors, the lungs create a substance called surfactant that keeps the alveoli, or airways, open, allowing people to breathe in air.

However, prematurely born babies experience breathing difficulties as they suffer from surfactant deficiency due to their immature lungs. In this recent case, the Department of Neonatology considered a number of possibilities when the infant, who was a resident of Delhi, was brought to the hospital, and they ultimately settled on non-intrusive surfactant therapy.

In surfactant therapy, a specific liquid was injected directly into the undeveloped lungs of premature infants who were experiencing respiratory problems. Additionally, the doctors administered a liquid medication via his windpipe as part of the procedure, which aided in expanding the lungs.

Doctors stated that they preferred the minimally invasive laryngeal mask or supraglottic airway (SALSA) delivery of surfactant to the more traditional endotracheal intubation technique of surfactant administration, as the requirement of expertise and complications are two major issues associated with endotracheal intubation. In contrast, the skills required for SALSA are meager compared to the expertise needed for intubation.

Last month, the effective therapy was reported in the journal Current Medical Research and Practice.