Discuss the significance of lecithin and sphingomyelin levels in the fetal lungs

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Lecithin is a component of surfactant that keeps the alveoli from collapsing with each breath. The sphingomyelin level is higher until the fetal lungs are mature, and then the lecithin level is higher than sphingomyelin. The L/S ratio (lecithin/sphingomyelin) helps predict the maturity of the fetal lungs and the likelihood of fetal survival after birth.

Health & Biomechanics

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