Suppose you're a physician treating an infant with respiratory distress syndrome. Your intervention to effect relief of the baby's symptoms will involve?

A. alveolar macrophages
B. an artificial surfactant
C.antibiotics
D. oxygen

This site says that an infant with respiratory distress will receive oxygen.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001563.htm#Treatment

I had a test with this same exact question and I chose oxygen and it was wrong.. but still looking for the right answer

an artificial surfactant.... Google it! Its the right anwser!

alveolar macrophages

Doing the same test the correct answer is B they try not to use oxygen because it can cause more damage.

In the case of an infant with respiratory distress syndrome, the intervention to relieve the baby's symptoms would typically involve providing oxygen. This treatment option can be determined by understanding the underlying cause of the respiratory distress and assessing the infant's oxygen saturation levels.

To arrive at the answer, you can follow these steps:

1. Identify the condition: First, understand that the infant is suffering from respiratory distress syndrome. This condition is characterized by difficulty in breathing due to immature lungs, particularly in premature babies.

2. Recognize the purpose of the intervention: The aim of the intervention is to alleviate the symptoms and provide respiratory support to the baby.

3. Evaluate the treatment options: Consider the provided options of alveolar macrophages, artificial surfactant, antibiotics, and oxygen.

4. Eliminate incorrect options: Alveolar macrophages and antibiotics are not typically used as direct interventions in respiratory distress syndrome. Alveolar macrophages are immune cells associated with lung defense mechanisms and antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections.

5. Identify the correct option: Artificial surfactant is a treatment option specifically used for premature infants with respiratory distress syndrome to improve lung function. However, in the given options, oxygen is the most general and common intervention for infants experiencing respiratory distress.

Therefore, the correct answer to the question is D. oxygen.