Circulatory shock
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Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can provide total cardiopulmonary support via extrathoracic vascular cannulation. We evaluated the effects of ECMO in gram-negative septic shock in immature piglets subjected to fecal-Escherichia coli peritonitis. Group I, SEPSIS CONTROL (n = 10), had an intraperitoneal injection of E. coli but did not receive ECMO. ⋯ Conventional ventilatory therapy was unsuccessful in each. Systemic arterial blood pressure was significantly higher in ECMO CONTROL animals (P less than 0.01) as were leukocyte counts (P less than 0.01). In this model of gram-negative septic shock, ECMO did provide cardiopulmonary support but did not improve mortality.