RT Book, Section
A1 FontáN, Julio PéRez
A2 Rudolph, Colin D.
A2 Rudolph, Abraham M.
A2 Lister, George E.
A2 First, Lewis R.
A2 Gershon, Anne A.
SR Print(0)
ID 6720829
T1 Chapter 109. Life Support Systems
T2 Rudolph's Pediatrics, 22e
YR 2011
FD 2011
PB The McGraw-Hill Companies
PP New York, NY
SN 978-0-07-149723-7
LK accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=6720829
RD 2024/10/05
AB The  past  three  decades  have  seen  immense  advances  in  the  technologies  used  to  replace  the  functions  of  failing  organs  or  systems.  During  this  time,  mechanical  ventilation  has  evolved  from  being  used  only  as  a  last  rite,  when  there  was  little  hope  of  survival,  to  being  a  widely  used  and  versatile  technique  that  allows  thousands  of  patients  to  recover  from  respiratory  failure  every  year.  Extracorporeal  membrane  oxygenation  (ECMO),  reintroduced  into  neonatal  and  pediatric  intensive  care  medicine  in  the  1980s,  is  rapidly  reaching  similar  status,  as  its  indications  and,  perhaps  more  importantly,  its  limitations  are  better  defined.  More  recently,  external  and  implantable  ventricular  assist  devices  have  undergone  sufficient  development  to  become  viable  alternatives  for  the  continued  support  of  patients  with  severe  circulatory  dysfunction,  often  as  a  bridge  toward  cardiac  transplantation.  While  these  technologies  offer  many  possibilities,  intensive  care  specialists  must  use  them  wisely  by  carefully  selecting  the  patients  who  can  benefit,  by  providing  patients  and  families  with  realistic  assessments  of  their  potential,  and  by  carefully  evaluating  the  results  to  define  better  indications  and  to  improve  efficacy.