ASAIO journal : a peer-reviewed journal of the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs
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We describe a 2 year-old girl with end-stage dilated cardiomyopathy in whom extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) was used for mechanical cardiac assistance. After 4 weeks, ECMO-related complications necessitated change to a Berlin Heart Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD), and she received a successful cardiac transplant after a total of 106 days on mechanical cardiac support.
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Case Reports Comparative Study
Pulsatile ECMO in neonates and infants: first European clinical experience with a new device.
This study presents the first European clinical experience with the Medos DeltaStream DP1, a new pulsatile flow pump, in neonates and infants. Between January 2002 and December 2004, 420 patients at our institution underwent congenital heart surgery on cardiopulmonary bypass. During this period, 10 patients required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support for acute postcardiotomy heart failure. ⋯ Although this preliminary experience doesn't allow for statistical analysis, clinically it was possible to observe a better performance in pulsatile flow recipients with faster lactate recovery, reduced need for inotropic support, reduced assistance duration in bridge-to-recovery settings, and smoother intensive care management. ECMO for postcardiotomy heart failure in neonates and infants still carries high mortality and morbidity rates. Pulsatile flow with the Medos DeltaStream DP1 pump system improves results by producing more physiologic hemodynamics, reducing the duration of support in the case of bridge to recovery, and improving end-organ function.
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Comparative Study
Coupling pediatric ventricle assist devices to the Fontan circulation: simulations with a lumped-parameter model.
In pediatric ventricular assist device (VAD) design, the process of matching device characteristics and dimensions to the relevant disease conditions poses a formidable challenge because the disease spectrum is more highly varied than for adult applications. One example arises with single-ventricle congenital defects, which demand palliative surgeries that create elevated systemic venous pressure and altered pulmonary hemodynamics. Substituting a mechanical pump as a right ventricle has long been proposed to eliminate the associated early and postoperative anomalies. ⋯ Pulsatile operation mode with rotational speed regulation highlighted the importance of TCPC and pulmonary artery compliances. Four different pumps and three patient-specific anatomical TCPC pathologies were studied. Magnitudes of the equivalent TCPC resistances were found to be comparable to the vascular resistances of the normal baseline circulation, significantly affecting both the VAD design and hemodynamics.
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Case Reports
Duration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation before extracorporeal rescue: how long is not long enough?
Despite the extensive resources required, extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) has been recognized as an extension of traditional CPR. The reported duration of CPR before ECPR initiation is similar between survivors and nonsurvivors, but the duration of CPR that results in futility of care is unknown. We report two cases of prolonged CPR followed by ECPR resulting in acceptable neurologic outcomes. ⋯ The Extracorporeal Life Support Organization registry is a plausible forum to collect data regarding ECPR. We suggest that possible predictive variables be collected. Until then, practitioners must rely on experience and judgment regarding the value of ECPR in children.
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We report a simplified modification of the cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) circuit to create a closed extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) circuit for short-term cardiac support. From November 2001 to December 2004, a specially designed CPB circuit was indicated for 25 patients in whom the need of ECMO was expected. A bypass containing a nonprimed ECMO bladder was inserted in the venous line, bypassing the cardiotomy reservoir. ⋯ Common complications were bleeding requiring reexploration (four patients), brain injury (three patients), oxygenator failure (three patients), and sepsis (one patient). Converting an open CPB circuit to a closed ECMO circuit is viable with adequate results. The advantages are less exposure to blood products, hemodynamic stability, and cost reduction.