Survival of Children With Pulmonary Embolism Supported by Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

The purpose of this study was to describe the demographics and in-hospital mortality of children (<18 years) from 2007 to 2018 supported by Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) for a primary diagnosis of pulmonary embolism and reported to the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization database. Fifty-six patients were identified and 54 were included in this analysis. A total of 33 patients (61%) survived. No differences in demographics or ECMO details (duration, mode, and support type) were found between survivors and non-survivors. When ECMO complications were compared, pulmonary bleeding occurred more frequently in non-survivors (23.8%, n = 5) compared to survivors (n = 0) (p = 0.006).

Respiratory Failure in a Pediatric Patient with Biventricular Assist Devices: Identification and Novel Management of Inflow Cannula Obstruction.

Respiratory failure after ventricular assist device (VAD) placement may threaten transplant candidacy and can be lethal. Refractory respiratory failure may require addition of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support. Providing ECMO in a VAD-supported patient is uniquely challenging, particularly in the case of LVAD inflow cannula obstruction in a pediatric patient who may be more prone to cannula obstruction. Surgical intervention to alleviate obstruction may not be feasible. Here, we present a novel nonsurgical strategy for conversion to ECMO in a VAD-supported pediatric patient with respiratory failure because of LVAD inflow cannula obstruction.