Journal of paediatrics and child health
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At the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been used in the treatment of newborn infants with life-threatening respiratory or cardiac failure since May 1989. The main indications for the use of ECMO are that the disease is reversible, the surviving infant is likely to be normal and there is an 80% likelihood of death without ECMO. Sixteen of 22 (73%) newborn infants have survived at least 6 months after ECMO. ⋯ Two of six infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia who received ECMO were discharged and survived to have normal neurological and respiratory function at 6 month follow up. These results are similar to results from other centres internationally. It would appear that ECMO is a useful therapy for near-term newborn infants with otherwise fatal cardiorespiratory failure.