"A last resort"

Children’s expertise helps 16-year-old beat the odds and recover from a horrific crash

In February, after being unconscious for more than six weeks, 16-year-old Alan Moos woke up in a hospital bed at Children’s – Minneapolis. “The first thing I remember saying was, ‘What am I doing here?’” Alan recalled. Little did Alan know the more appropriate question might have been “How fortunate am I to be here?”

Read Alan's Remarkable ECMO Story

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ECMO services are provided for both neonatal and pediatric patients with severe respiratory and/or cardiac insufficiency that is unresponsive to mechanical ventilation and medical therapy. Staff are available 24 hours a day for professional consultation, patient transport, or provision of ECMO. Available only at Children’s - Minneapolis.

The most common diagnoses leading to a need for ECMO are:

	congenital diaphragmatic hernia
	sepsis
	pneumonia
	meconium aspiration
	ARDS
	postcardiotomy
	myocarditis

Techniques include:

	veno-venous ECMO
	veno-arterial ECMO
	temporary ventricular assist devices

All criteria assume optimal support of respiratory and/or cardiovascular failure including mechanical ventilation, trial of nitric oxide, volume expansion, and appropriate inotropic support. We recommend not exceeding a PIP of 35 (30 for diaphragmatic hernia patients) on conventional ventilation, an HFOV AMPlitude of 40 (35 for CDH patients), or a MAP of 20 (15 for CDH patients), prior to qualifying for ECMO. A transient improvement should not cancel plans for ECMO. View neonatal ECMO criteria (PDF) View neonatal ECMO exclusions (PDF)