• David A Turner, Walter L Williford, Michelle A Peters, Janice J Thalman, Ian R Shearer, Richard J Walczak, Michael Griffis, Steven A Olson, Kevin W Sowers, Joseph A Govert, Neil R Macintyre, and Ira M Cheifetz.
• Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Duke Children's Hospital, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA. David.Turner@Duke.edu
• Pediatr Crit Care Me. 2011 Jul 1;12(4):426-30.

ObjectiveWe report the process used to rapidly develop a collaborative adult respiratory extracorporeal membrane oxygenation program as a response to caring for young adult patients with refractory hypoxemia in the setting of the pH1N1 pandemic.DesignInterdisciplinary response of a complex medical system to a public health crisis. PATIENTS, INTERVENTIONS, MEASUREMENTS, AND MAIN RESULTS: After the successful use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in young adults with pH1N1-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome refractory to conventional therapies, an adult venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation program was implemented over an 8-wk period. Implementation of this program involved a number of key steps that were crucial in the development process, including administrative and institutional support, multidisciplinary leadership and collaboration, extensive interdisciplinary educational initiatives, and substantial technical modifications.ConclusionsIn the setting of the pH1N1 influenza pandemic, an adult respiratory extracorporeal membrane oxygenation program was successfully developed to complement an established neonatal-pediatric program. This program expansion integrated all of the necessary components involved in the development process from start to finish and confirms that a healthcare system can respond very quickly and successfully to an urgent healthcare need.

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