Impact of inhaled tauractant administration in newborns at risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia on clinical and ultrasound characteristics of respiratory status

Introduction. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a common chronic lung disease in preterm infants, associated with a high risk of respiratory and neurological complications and mortality. Inhaled tauractant administration has recently been proposed as a novel preventive strategy.

Aim. To evaluate the effect of inhaled tauractant on clinical and ultrasound characteristics of respiratory status in newborns at risk of BPD.

Materials and Methods. The study was conducted at the Sverdlovsk Region State Healthcare Institution "Yekaterinburg Clinical Perinatal Center" from January 27, 2024, to December 31, 2025. Thirty-one infants with gestational age <30 weeks receiving nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or mechanical ventilation (MV) on days 8–14 of life were included. Lung ultrasound scores (LUS) were recorded daily before and after tauractant inhalation.

Results. Among 10 episodes of respiratory support modality change during days 1–5 of treatment, de-escalation occurred in 9 cases; in 6 of these, respiratory improvement was observed within the first 1–2 days of therapy. Statistically significant reductions in LUS were documented over days 1–5 in the overall cohort and specifically in the CPAP subgroup (p < 0.001). No significant changes were observed in the MV subgroup (p > 0.05).

Conclusion. A five-day course of inhaled tauractant prophylaxis in preterm infants at risk of BPD was associated with early trends toward respiratory support de-escalation and marked improvement in lung ultrasound findings among infants on nasal CPAP, whereas no pronounced effect was observed in those receiving mechanical ventilation.

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