ECMO is a method of life support in acute respiratory failure by providing recycled, oxygenated blood for the circulation. The most successful results with ECMO have been obtained in mature infants with poor adaptation to extra-uterine life:
Amongst neonates with these conditions, ECMO has sustained a survival rate of greater than 80%. The multicentre randomised, controlled UK Collaborative ECMO Trial is currently being evaluated.
Increasingly ECMO is being used for older children with respiratory failure. Survival in this group is improving with the technique. Also, it has been used to treat children with burns and severe but reversible cardiorespiratory failure.
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