Background: A new technique was proposed to administer surfactant to spontaneous breathing preterm infants by placing a thin catheter through the vocal cords. This technique was not studied with respect to oxygenation, gas exchange, surfactant distribution, and lung mechanics. We tested the technique of less-invasive surfactant administration (LISA) in a spontaneous breathing preterm lamb model. Methods: Preterm lambs (n = 12) of 133-134 d gestational age were randomized to the following three groups: (i) continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) only, (ii) CPAP + LISA, and (iii) intubation and mechanical ventilation with surfactant administration. Surfactant was labeled with samarium oxide. During the next 180 min, blood gas analyses were performed. Postmortem, lungs were removed and surfactant distribution was assessed, and pressure-volume curves were performed. results: Pao 2 in the LISA-treated lambs was significantly higher than in the lambs that exclusively received CPAP. Moreover, Pao 2 values were similar between the LISA-treated and the intubated lambs. Overall, surfactant deposition was less in the LISA lambs, with significantly less surfactant distributed to the right upper lobe. Lung compliance was better in the intubated lambs compared with the LISA-treated lambs, although this did not reach significance. conclusion: LISA improved oxygenation, similar to conventional surfactant application techniques, despite lower surfactant deposition and lung compliance.i n the past decades, preterm infants have been treated with surfactant bolus replacement therapy for respiratory distress syndrome, which usually requires intubation and mechanical ventilation. Surfactant treatment in ventilated infants leads to a relative reduction in bronchopulmonary dysplasia, pneumothorax, and mortality (1,2). Randomized trials indicated that early surfactant therapy compared to delayed rescue surfactant treatment resulted in better respiratory and neurologic outcomes in preterm infants (3).Early surfactant treatment has therefore been combined with intubation and mechanical ventilation. Intubation of the trachea may lead to laryngeal or tracheal injury and requires premedication, which can delay the time to extubation. In addition, mechanical ventilation can damage the vulnerable preterm lungs. It has been hypothesized that avoidance of mechanical ventilation might lead to less bronchopulmonary dysplasia (4,5), as infants that failed initial continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy and needed subsequent mechanical ventilation showed higher bronchopulmonary dysplasia rates (6).In order to avoid the negative effects of mechanical ventilation, a new technique was recently introduced to administer surfactant endotracheally to spontaneously breathing preterm infants by placing a small feeding or arterial catheter through the vocal cords (7,8). This technique proved to be feasible in clinical practice with first attempt success rate above 80% (8-10). This technique was referred to as minimally invasive surfactant therap...