Clinical features, histological features, Crs and steroid treatment seen in preterm infants and observed in patients with COVID-19 ARDS and as reported by Grasselli et al.3 See text for details
| Neonatal RDS | COVID-19 ARDS | |
| Clinical features | Tachypnoea, increased work of breathing and hypoxia | Dyspnoea, tachypnoea and hypoxia |
| Histological features | Diffuse injury, atelectasis, alveolar oedema, the presence of fibrin exudate and hyaline membrane | Diffuse injury, atelectasis, alveolar oedema, the presence of fibrin exudate, hyaline membrane and capillary thrombi |
| Crs—see also figure 1 | Lung compliance may appear to be normal initially and then decreases over first minutes and hours of life requiring increasing pressures/ventilatory support | Patients initially present with near-normal lung compliance and then have decreasing lung compliance over the next days of illness if the disease progress |
| Steroids | Use of antenatal steroids reduces RDS7 | Use of dexamethasone in patients hospitalised with respiratory failure improves outcome20 |
ARDS, acute respiratory distress syndrome; Crs, compliance of the respiratory system; RDS, respiratory distress syndrome.