or hyaline membrane disease
Common complication in newborns, especially after premature birth .
Symptoms include very laboured breathing, bluish skin tinge, and low blood oxygen levels. Insufficient surfactant in the atelectasis ), and a "glassy" (hyaline) membrane develops in the alveolar ducts. Once the leading cause of death in premature infants, the syndrome is now usually treated for a few days with a mechanical ventilator (see respiratory therapy ), with no aftereffects. An adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) can follow lung injury.