Resuscitation in near drowning with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

We report a case of near drowning of a 3-year-old girl, who was admitted to our emergency room with a core temperature of 18.4 degrees C. After rewarming on cardiopulmonary bypass and restitution of her circulation, respiratory failure resistant to conventional respiratory therapy prohibited weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass. Therefore, we instituted extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Fifteen hours later, she could be weaned from ECMO but required assisted ventilation for another 12 days. Twenty months later there are no neurologic deficits.