Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS)

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Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS)

Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) of infants, sometimes called hyaline membrane disease, is a serious condition that most commonly occurs in babies who are born before their lungs are fully developed. The lungs do not fully inflate or function normally, making breathing difficult or impossible without medical intervention.

RDS occurs when the lungs fail to produce enough surfactant, a substance that helps the lungs stay properly inflated. Normally, the lungs produce surfactant close to the time of birth. Babies born before the lungs have produced this substance often require oxygen therapy or a ventilator machine to help them breathe. A baby's lungs usually will improve after a medicine form of surfactant is delivered through a breathing tube into the lungs.

Credits

Author	Jeannette Curtis
Author	Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS
Editor	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS
Editor	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA
Associate Editor	Tracy Landauer
Associate Editor	Pat Truman
Primary Medical Reviewer	Patrice Burgess, MD - Family Medicine
Primary Medical Reviewer	Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine
Primary Medical Reviewer	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Last Updated	May 25, 2007

Last updated:	May 25, 2007
Author:	Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS
Reviewed By:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman

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