Extracorporeal life support during pregnancy.

Area of Science:

• Critical Care Medicine
• Maternal-Fetal Medicine
• Cardiopulmonary Support

Background:

• Extracorporeal life support (ECLS) offers advanced cardiopulmonary support.
• Pregnancy presents unique challenges for managing severe respiratory and cardiac failure.

Observation:

• A literature review identified 45 pregnant patients receiving ECLS.
• Indications included severe H1N1 influenza with ARDS, other ARDS, cardiogenic shock, and cardiac arrest.
• One case details successful venoarterial ECMO for hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome.

Findings:

• Maternal survival rate was 77.8% (35/45), and fetal survival rate was 65.1% (28/43).
• Mean gestational age was 26.5 weeks, with a median ECLS duration of 12.2 days.
• The hantavirus case resulted in a healthy infant and long-term maternal recovery.

Implications:

• ECLS is a viable and relatively safe option for critically ill pregnant patients.
• This supports the use of ECLS in life-threatening conditions during pregnancy.
• Further research can optimize ECLS protocols for pregnant populations.