Acute respiratory distress syndrome in a child with severe epileptic disorder treated successfully b

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is now a candidate therapy for patients with acute respiratory failure [1]-[4] based on several reports of ECMO treatment for acute respiratory failure associated with influenza A H1N1 infection in both adult and pediatric patients [5]-[10]. Implementation of ECMO for pediatric respiratory failure has almost doubled since 2000. Approximately 350 patients have been treated annually over the past 3 years worldwide, with a 56% survival rate [11]. We report our experience of using ECMO for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) followed by seizure in a 15-month-old girl with a severe epileptic disorder. Her respiratory distress was refractory to standard medical treatment and mechanical ventilatory support and complicated by development of a pneumothorax. The patient was successfully weaned from ECMO and discharged home without deterioration in her neurological status.