Role of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation in adults Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) has been performed with increasing frequency worldwide to improve the low survival rate of conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CCPR). Several studies have shown that among patients who experience in-hospital cardiac arrest, better survival outcomes and neurological outcomes can be expected after ECPR than after CCPR. However, studies have not clearly shown a short-term survival benefit of ECPR for patients who experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Favorable outcomes are associated with a shorter low-flow time, an initial shockable rhythm, lower serum lactate levels, higher blood pH, and a lower Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score. Indications for ECPR include young age, witnessed arrest with bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation, an initial shockable rhythm, correctable causes such as a cardiac etiology, and no return of spontaneous circulation within 10-20 minutes of CCPR. ECPR is a complex intervention that requires a highly trained team, specialized equipment, and multidisciplinary support within a healthcare system, and it has the risk of several life-threatening complications. Therefore, physicians should carefully select patients for ECPR who can gain the most benefit, instead of applying ECPR indiscriminately.

BackgroundExtracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has become an important treatment modality in pediatric patients with cardiopulmonary failure, but few studies have been conducted in Korea.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective review of pediatric patients younger than 18 years who were placed on ECMO between January 2004 and December 2014 at Samsung Medical Center.ResultsWe identified 116 children on ECMO support. The overall rate of successful weaning was 51.7%, and the survival to discharge rate was 37.1%. There were 39, 61, and 16 patients on ECMO for respiratory, cardiac, and extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation, respectively. The weaning rate in each group was 48.7%, 55.7%, and 43.8%, respectively. The survival rate was 43.6%, 36.1%, and 25.0%, respectively. Sixteen patients on ECMO had functional single ventricle physiology; in this group, the weaning rate was 43.8% and the survival rate was 31.3%. Ten patients were on ECMO as a bridge to transplantation (8 for heart and 2 for lung). In patients with heart transplantation, the rate of survival to transplantation was 50.0%, and the overall rate of survival to discharge was 37.5%.ConclusionAn increasing trend in pediatric ECMO utilization was observed. The outcomes were favorable considering the early experiences that were included in this study and the limited supply of specialized equipment for pediatric patients.

There was an error in the article, "Outcomes of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in children: an 11-year single-center experience in Korea [1]." The indentation in Table 4 needs to be corrected. The corrected Table 4 is as follows:We apologize for any inconvenience that it may have caused.