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surfactant (sәr-fakĀ“tәnt)   surface-active agent.
  In the physiology of the lungs, a mixture of phospholipids (primarily lecithin and sphingomyelin) that is secreted into the alveoli and air passages and reduces the surface tension of fluids in the lungs to make lung tissue more elastic. A synthetic surfactant is commercially available for treatment of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome. See also acute respiratory distress syndrome.




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