Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Jun;32(3):416-423.
doi: 10.1097/MOP.0000000000000904.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in the pediatric population - who should go on, and who should not

Eric W Etchill  1 , Siddhartha A Dante  2 , Alejandro V Garcia  1
Affiliations
Review

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in the pediatric population - who should go on, and who should not

Eric W Etchill et al. Curr Opin Pediatr. 2020 Jun.

Abstract

Purpose of review: The role of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a method of providing cardiorespiratory support in instances of cardiac or respiratory failure, in neonates and children continues to expand and evolve. This review details the current landscape of ECMO as it applies to neonates and children.

Recent findings: Specifically, this review provides the most recent evidence for which patients should be considered for the various forms of ECMO including venovenous ECMO, venoarterial-ECMO, and extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Specific topics to be discussed include indications and contraindications for the different types of ECMO in neonates and children, anticoagulation strategies and ways to monitor end-organ function, outcomes specific to the different types and populations with a focus on meaningful survival to discharge and neurologic outcomes, and consideration of special populations such as low birth weight infants, traumatically injured patients, and children who received recent bone marrow transplants. This review also discusses still unanswered questions surrounding the most appropriate use of ECMO as its role and applications continue to evolve.

Summary: With rapidly increasing utilization of ECMO, neonatologists and pediatricians should be aware of the most recent evidence guiding its indications, applications, and limitations.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Thiagarajan RR, Barbaro RP, Rycus PT, et al. Extracorporeal life support organization registry international report 2016. ASAIO J 2017; 63:60–67.
    1. Barbaro RP, Paden ML, Guner YS, et al. Pediatric extracorporeal life support organization registry international report 2016. ASAIO J 2017; 63:456–463.
    1. Gehrmann LP, Hafner JW, Montgomery DL, et al. Pediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: an introduction for emergency medicine physicians. J Emerg Med 2015; 49:552–560.
    1. Conrad SA, Broman LM, Taccone FS, et al. The extracorporeal life support organization Maastricht treaty for nomenclature in extracorporeal life support: a position paper of the extracorporeal life support organization. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2018; 198:447–451.
    1. Alsaleem M, Malik A, Lakshminrusimha S, et al. Hydrocortisone improves oxygenation index and systolic blood pressure in term infants with persistent pulmonary hypertension. Clin Med Insights Pediatr 2019; 13:1179556519888918.