Abstract
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a rapidly emerging advanced life support
technique used in cardiorespiratory failure refractory to other treatments. There
has been an influx in the number of studies relating to ECMO in recent years, as the
technique becomes more popular. However, there are still significant gaps in the literature
including complications and their impacts and methods to predict their development.
This review evaluates the available literature on the complications of ECMO postcardiotomy
in the pediatric population. Areas explored include renal, cardiovascular, hematological,
infection, neurological, and hepatic complications. Incidence, risk factors and potential
predictors, and scoring systems for the development of these complications have been
evaluated.
Keywords
extracorporeal membrane oxygenation - complications - outcomes - intervention
