Exogenous natural surfactant for treatment of acute lung injury and the acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Rationale: Compositional changes in surfactant and/or decreased surfactant content of the lungs are common features in patients with acute respiratory failure. Instillation of exogenous surfactant into the lungs of neonates with respiratory distress syndrome or pediatric patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has resulted in improved survival.

Objectives: We conducted this trial to determine whether the instillation of exogenous surfactant would improve the Day 28 outcome of adult patients with acute lung injury (ALI) or ARDS.