PREDICTION OF RESPIRATORY-DISTRESS SYNDROME BY A NEW COLORIMETRIC ASSAY

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical performance of a new, simple, and rapid colorimetric assay for predicting respiratory distress syndrome. STUDY DESIGN: Ninety-four specimens obtained within 3 days of delivery were assayed with the new test. For 78 of these specimens, the lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio was also determined. Significant differences were calculated with chi-2 analysis. Cutoff points were selected by maximizing the corresponding sums of sensitivity and specificity and from receiver-operator-characteristic curves. RESULTS: The specificity of the new colorimetric test was better than 89%, and it yielded more than 86% correct diagnoses. Furthermore, the test had a significantly (p < 0.05) lower percentage of false-immature results than that obtained with the lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio. Moreover, the new test performed relatively well in analyses of patients between 27 weeks and 36 weeks' gestation. CONCLUSION: We concluded that the new assay is reliable and that it can serve as a useful alternative to current methods for predicting respiratory distress syndrome