Background: Some controlled trials have shown significant differences in short-term clinical outcomes between poractant alfa and beractant in infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). There is, however, no study showing the differences in long-term outcomes with these treatments.
Aim: To determine and compare the neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm infants with RDS treated with poractant alfa or beractant at 2 years of age.
Methods: This was a prospective, longitudinal, single-center cohort study of infants born at ≤ 1,500 g and/or ≤ 32 weeks between 2008 and 2009 who received either poractant alfa (n = 113) or beractant (n = 102) for RDS. Neurological and developmental assessments were performed at a corrected age of 18 to 24 months.
Results: About 33 of 113 infants (29.2%) in the poractant alfa group had neurodevelopmental impairment compared with 36 of 102 (35.2%) in the beractant group, and the results did not differ between the groups (p = 0.339). Similarly, no significant difference was found in the percentage of infants with cerebral palsy (11.5 vs. 16.7%, respectively; p = 0.275).
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that poractant alfa and beractant are similar in terms of neurodevelopmental outcomes when used for the treatment of RDS in preterm infants.
Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.