Newborns with Respiratory Failure

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Neonates born with respiratory failure or respiratory distress have a very low chance for survival. Techniques to treat these newborns have been advancing throughout the years, but these treatments have high risks. One technique that can treat these neonates is called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation or ECMO for short. The development of ECMO has been a process that started before 1970 after the invention a successful use of the disposable bubble oxygenator. This oxygenator was good for short bypass periods but did not allow the patient to be on it for more than a couple of hours. In addition, this oxygenator was damaging to the blood because of the large contact area between blood and oxygen. In an effort to make a better oxygenator, the membrane oxygenator was created and ECMO followed.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is used to treat two main health issues in neonates. The top reason being providing respiratory support during functional impairment (1) and the second reason is in patients requiring postoperative support after cardiac repair have been treated with ECMO, which has been increasingly successful (4). It is a way for a neonates lungs to receive a recovery period when on bypass (5). When a baby in born and the doctors conclude that it is suffering from respiratory problems, the child needs help as soon as possible. When that neonate is being considered for ECMO, it has to meet eight specific criteria points. These eight points include “1. At least 35 weeks gestational age; 2. Greater than 2000 grams in weight; 3. No structural cardiac disease; 4. Less than seven days (relative) or tan days (absolute) ventilator support; 5. Reversible lung disease; 6. No intracranial hemorrhage or severe coagulopathy; 7. Failure...

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...oxygenation is a lifesaving treatment of respiratory failure.

Works Cited

(1) Lipton, B., Weinreich, A., Michal, V., & Jacobson, J. H. (1970, November). Respiratory Failure Treated with the Membrane Oxygenator in the Hyperbaric Chamber. CHEST Journal, 58(5), 513-517.
(2) Lim, M. W. (2006). History of Extracorporeal Oxygenators. The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland, 985-991.
(3) Rodrigues-Cruz, E. (2013, August 27). Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation. Retrieved from Medscape: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1818617-overview
(4) Foglia, R. (1990). Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation. Current Opinion in Cardiology, 20-24.
(5) Schumacher, R. E., Palmer, T., Roloff, D. W., LaClaire, P. A., & Barlett, R. H. (1991). Follow-up of Infants Treated with Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Newborn Respiratory Failure. PEDIATRICS, 451-457.

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