Beractant Brand Name– Survanta
What is Beractant
Beractant is a bovine-derived suspension that is administered intratracheally for the prevention and treatment of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in premature infants.
Surfactants can be either natural products or synthetic.
Beractant (Survanta(R)) and calfactant (Infasurf(R)) are bovine-derived, poractant alfa (Curosurf(R)) is porcine-derived, and colfosceril-cetyl alcohol-tyloxapol (Exosurf Neonatal(R)) is synthetic (see separate monographs for these other surfactant products).
Survanta(R) is derived from minced bovine lung tissue while Infasurf(R) is obtained by lavaging bovine lungs. Beractant contains phospholipids, neutral lipids, fatty acids and surfactant-associated proteins with the addition of colfosceril palmitate, palmitic acid and tripalmitin.
Beractant contains two low molecular weight, hydrophobic surfactant-associated proteins, SP-B and SP-C. It does not contain the hydrophilic large molecular weight surfactant-associated protein SP-A and contains no preservatives.
A review of head-to-head comparative studies of natural vs synthetic surfactants revealed that oxygen requirements and ventilator settings were lower following treatment with beractant (natural) compared with colfosceril (synthetic), however, this conclusion was based on the early clinical response.
Most clinicians feel there is little difference between natural and synthetic surfactant products based on long-term clinical response. Surfactants as a group are being investigated for use in other respiratory distress syndromes in both children and adults, including acute respiratrory distress syndrome (ARDS) and burn-inhalation injuries.
Survanta(R) was approved by the FDA in 1991.
Indications
- acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
- neonatal respiratory distress syndrome
- neonatal respiratory distress syndrome prophylaxis
For neonatal respiratory distress syndrome prophylaxis in premature neonates and for the treatment of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS)
Side Effects
- apnea
- bradycardia
- cyanosis
- hyperoxia
- hypertension
- hypocarbia
- hypotension
- hypoxia
- infection
- intracranial bleeding
- pallor
- peripheral vasoconstriction
Monitoring Parameters
- arterial blood gases (ABGs)
- chest x-ray
Contraindications
- bovine protein hypersensitivity
- bradycardia
- breast-feeding
- neonates
- pregnancy
- sepsis
Interactions
- Amikacin
- Amphotericin B
- Gentamicin
- Kanamycin
- Neomycin
- Paromomycin
- Spectinomycin
- Streptomycin
- Tobramycin
- Vancomycin
