ECMO Saves Child's Life

After linking the child to the ECMO, he was transferred under alternate ventilation and sedation to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit for several days. Tests revealed the cause was due to bacteria in his urinary tract which had spread to the blood stream. The bacteria called Staphylococcus Aureus is a common infection in children. In some cases, it can cause permanent damage to the kidneys and sepsis, a situation where bacteria pass from the infected kidney to the bloodstream as in this case. Sepsis develops when the body's response to infection is disrupted causing an imbalance that can affect the vital organs and thus threaten life.   

"It started with stomach pain, vomiting and high fever, and at a certain stage when the pain became so severe, I decided to take him to hospital," recalls the boy's mother. "Initially, he underwent several tests that didn’t reveal anything unusual except for an infection, until they decided to perform an ultrasound of his kidneys due to his stomach ache which had spread around to the back. The ultrasound showed something amiss in the kidney. Meanwhile, he continued to feel bad and was getting worse, and I realized from one moment to the next that something awful was happening. Then I saw a lot of doctors enter the room. They acted quickly and connected him to the ECMO which in retrospect saved his life. These were scary days, full of fear and uncertainty. Gradually he improved and today he feels much better although he is still recovering from the experience, myself included. I would like to thank the staff of the hospital which treated him with great dedication, and with rapid and precise care."

Dr. Ron Berant, Director of the ER at Schneider Children's, said that "the child arrived with fever and complaining of stomach pain. We did some tests to try and understand the source. As part of the investigation, we conducted an ultrasound utilizing POCUS (a portable ultrasound machine), which revealed many cysts in the kidney, which was unknown beforehand. An abnormal urine test added to the suspicion that the source of the problem was the urinary tract. During further assessment and treatment, the child suddenly deteriorated and his systems crashed which demanded his immediate connection to the ECMO machine in order to stabilize him. Performing this in the ER is very rare, and this was only the fourth time this has occurred at Schneider in over 30 years."