A Novel and Promising Method for Prediction of Early Surfactant Requirement in Preterm Infants With Respiratory Distress Syndrome: Pulmonary Near‐Infrared Spectroscopy

L-NIRS ≤ 85% values at NICU admission may be used for determination of surfactant therapy in RDS. In addition, lower mean basal L-NIRS values in the first 4 h of life can also be used to guide repeated doses of surfactant. L-NIRS, either alone or in combination with other methods may be used for management of preterm infants with RDS after confirmation of our results by larger clinical studies.