Feasibility of ECMO application in preterm infants and clinical implementation protocol
Li Qiuping, Cao Jingke, Hong Xiaoyang, Zhao Zhe, Wang Gang, Feng Zhichun
(1.Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Department of Pediatrics, the Seventh Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100700, China; 2. The Second Clinical Medical College, Southern Medical University, Guangdong, Guangzhou 510515, China; 3.Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Department of Pediatrics, the seventh Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100700, China; 4.Department of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, Department of Pediatrics, the Seventh Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100700, China; 5.National Engineering Laboratory for Birth Defect Prevention and Control, Department of Pediatrics, the Seventh Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100700, China
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), as a core technology for saving the lives of critically ill neonates, has become mature in the treatment of severe cardiopulmonary failure in term neonates.
However, its application in preterm infants has long been restricted due to their physiological fragility and
other characteristics. This article systematically sorts out the historical evolution, feasibility, core challenges, key technical points, prognostic outcomes, and ethical considerations of ECMO application in preterm infants, focusing on clinical evidence-based basis and practical core, so as to provide scientific reference for the standardized application of this technology.
2026, Vol. 14 
