Use of ECMO for Cardiogenic Shock in Pediatric Population

Priya Bhaskar; Samuel Davila; Aparna Hoskote; Ravi Thiagarajan

doi:10.3390/jcm10081573

Use of ECMO for Cardiogenic Shock in Pediatric Population

J Clin Med. 2021 Apr 8;10(8):1573. doi: 10.3390/jcm10081573.

Authors

Priya Bhaskar¹, Samuel Davila¹, Aparna Hoskote², Ravi Thiagarajan³

Affiliations

¹ Division of Pediatric Critical Care, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Children's Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75235, USA.
² Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, Great Ormond Street, London WC1N 3JH, UK.
³ Department of Cardiology, Division of Cardiovascular Critical Care, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.

Abstract

In children with severe advanced heart failure where medical management has failed, mechanical circulatory support in the form of veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO) or ventricular assist device represents life-sustaining therapy. This review provides an overview of VA ECMO used for cardiovascular support including medical and surgical heart disease. Indications, contraindications, and outcomes of VA ECMO in the pediatric population are discussed.VA ECMO provides biventricular and respiratory support and can be deployed in rapid fashion to rescue patient with failing physiology. There have been advances in conduct and technologic aspects of VA ECMO, but survival outcomes have not improved. Stringent selection and optimal timing of deployment are critical to improve mortality and morbidity of the patients supported with VA ECMO.

Keywords: ECMO; cardiogenic shock; congenital.

Publication types

Review