Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in the newborn and beyond.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has gained notoriety recently as a treatment of last resort for neonates at term or near term who suffer from pulmonary failure. Because of serious inherent risks, the procedure is at present reserved for infants with reversible pulmonary disease who have failed conventional or high-frequency ventilation and who meet the prognostic criterion of 80 percent mortality.