Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) . I. Is it really needed in Spain?
Valls i Soler, A.; López Herrera, M.C.; López de Heredia y Goya, J.; Román Echevarría, L.; Fernández-Ruanova, B.
Anales Espanoles de Pediatria 46(3): 261-265
1997
ISSN/ISBN: 0302-4342 PMID: 9173846 Document Number: 472551
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a cardiorespiratory support technique used to treat newborns with severe respiratory insufficiency. ECMO has not been used yet in newborns in Spain, with its necessity being question. The aim of this study was to evaluate the need for ECMO for respiratory or cardiac cases in our neonatal population, as well as to study the predictive capacity of several respiratory indices. A retrospective observational study was carried out. Data from 2,133 newborns admitted during a 48 month period was reviewed. Babies were considered ECMO candidates if they died of respiratory failure or after surgery for a cardiac defect and if they had no ECMO exclusion criteria. The capacity of several respiratory indices to predict mortality was analyzed. We considered 16 babies who died to be ECMO candidates, 6 with respiratory failure (1/3,028 live births) and 10 with cardiac defects 3 of them inborn (1/6,057). The total ECMO need was 1/2019 live births. None of the oxygenation indices studied accurately predicted the 80% mortality rate. In Spain, it is necessary to start several neonatal ECMO programs since some 200 newborn infants with severe respiratory failure or cardiac defects could benefit from such a program annually.