Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in the newborn

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is used in the treatment of reversible pulmonary disease in the newborn. The ECMO program at Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center began in 1985 and to date, 57 patients have been placed on bypass for a mean of 125 hours. The indications for ECMO are severe, prolonged hypoxemia in patients with an estimated mortality of greater than 90% using conventional ventilator support. The major diagnoses in the patients placed on ECMO were meconium aspiration, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, and neonatal sepsis or pneumonia. Overall survival was 79%, or 45 out of 57. The most frequent complications were intracranial hemorrhage as well as hemorrhage from the surgical site. We have found ECMO to be an extremely valuable adjunct in the care of the critically ill newborn and believe it can significantly improve survival in infants with reversible pulmonary disease.