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Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Program

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The Center for Fetal and Neonatal Medicine houses one of California’s largest Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) programs. More than 1,000 children have received life-saving ECMO care at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

Our ECMO Program is designated as a Center of Excellence by the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization.  Read More.

Just for Parents: Introduction to ECMO

This heart-lung bypass system takes over circulatory and respiratory functions in infants whose systems fail due to underlying acquired or congenital conditions. ECMO, considered a “last-resort” treatment, improves the chances for survival in many cases up to 80 percent. It is important to remember that only neonates with a gestational age of >34 weeks are eligible for ECMO due to the increased risk of complications in the less mature patient population.

ECMO remains a life-saving surgical and medical treatment for neonates with:

  • Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn
  • Respiratory failure due to lung immaturity not responding to conventional management or severe, life-threatening infections of the blood and lungs (pneumonia) acquired during or immediately after delivery
  • Cardiovascular compromise of different causes necessitating support with lung and heart bypass

Team Members

The Children's Hospital Los Angeles neonatal ECMO team, includes:

  • Neonatologists
  • Pediatric surgeons
  • Perfusionists
  • ECMO nurse specialists
  • Cardiologists
  • Neuro-radiologists
  • Pediatric emergency transport specialists

Due to the complexity of the technique and the severity of the condition of the babies requiring ECMO support, there are 2 ECMO nurse specialists at the bedside of infants receiving ECMO 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. These specialists work under the close supervision of the neonatologists, pediatric surgeons and neonatal and surgical fellows.

Program History

Initiated in 1987, the ECMO Program at our hospital has cared for over 650 newborns supported with ECMO. The program has remained the largest referral center in Southern California and surrounding states for the treatment of neonatal conditions requiring ECMO support.