Intensive care medicine
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Intensive care medicine · Jul 2005
Case ReportsExtending the limits of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: lung rest for a child with non-specific interstitial pneumonia.
Veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is an established therapy for the treatment of respiratory failure. Traditionally ECMO has been used to support patients with an acute, reversible disease process, with a predictable outcome. We report the successful use of veno-venous ECMO for an unusual indication. ⋯ ECMO was safely and successfully used to provide a period of lung rest and time for medical therapy to take effect in a child with an unusual indication for support: a rare disease with an uncertain outcome on the background of prolonged mechanical ventilation.