POSSIBILITIES OF USING DORNASE ALFA IN CHILDREN WITH ATELECTASIS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH CYSTIC FIBROSIS IN INTENSIVE CARE UNITS: TWO CLINICAL OBSERVATIONS

<jats:p>Atelectasis, characterized by partial or complete collapse of the lung or its lobe/segment, is a common and serious clinical problem in children. No proven treatments for atelectasis exist. Dornase alfa (recombinant human deoxyribonuclease) reduces the viscosity of purulent secretions in the bronchi and is effective in patients with cystic fibrosis. Data on the use of dornase alfa in other diseases are limited. This article presents clinical observations of two girls – a 2-month-old with lung hypoplasia due to diaphragmatic hernia and a 7-year-old with status asthmaticus and acute respiratory distress syndrome, hospitalized in intensive care units and requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy, who showed positive dynamics in the form of atelectasis resolution during dornase alfa therapy. The presented clinical observations, as well as the analysis of cases described in the literature on the use of dornase alfa in children with atelectasis, demonstrate the efficacy and safety of the drug in children of different ages, including those on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.</jats:p>