2.1 Characteristics (Table 1)
Twenty-three neonates with heart failure after open heart surgery were undergone ECMO, and 2 were premature infants and 3 were less than 2500g. Eighteen cases(78.26%)were weaned off ECMO and 12 (52.17%) discharged successfully.
The indications were categorized into extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR), inability to wean from cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), low cardiac output syndrome (LCOS) in 8, 5, 10 cases. Of the ECPR neonates, 4 patients discharged (hypoperfusion time ≤30min), and 4 cases died finally (hypoperfusion time >30min) (p =0.005). Five neonates, inability to wean from CPB, were weaned successfully, just one survived. Ten cases had LCOS, 9 (90%) were weaned successfully and 7 (70%) discharged.
The duration of ECMO support was between 38h and 456 hours. There were 8 neonates weaned off ECMO in 3 days and 5 cases survived; 9 patients between 3-5 days and 7 survived; 6 neonates above 5 days and all died (P = 0.01).