Exogenous surfactant treatment of surfactant-deficient disease states is now under study in a number of centers, using a variety of surfactant preparations. We have chosen one preparation because of its current and potential clinical usefulness, and we have characterized it using selected tests and assays that we thought would be necessary (although not necessarily sufficient) to justify extended clinical use. We found its lipid composition to resemble that of other surfactants derived from lung mince. There is little variation among several batches with regard to lipid composition or surface tension-lowering capability. Morphologic heterogeneity occurs in individual samples of pelleted material studied by electron microscopy. Arterial oxygenation is improved when the material is administered to animals depleted of surfactant. A low molecular weight protein was identified that reacted with antibody that specifically binds nonserum surfactant proteins in a number of animal species (including human and cow). The characteristics of this surfactant preparation should be useful for comparison as newer and simpler products become available.
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