Prolonged extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as a bridge to cardiac transplantation

Cardiac transplantation provides the best option for neonates with congenit al heart disease that is not amenable to surgical repair or palliation. The scarcity of suitable organs for this group has resulted in prolonged waiti ng times; many infants die awaiting transplantation. We present the case of a newborn with severe Ebstein's anomaly and low cardiac output who was sup ported with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for 1,126 hours, until an a ppropriate organ became available.