Use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in a patient with diffuse alveolar hemorrhage.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) was developed as a supportive therapy for severe respiratory failure. It has been shown to be life-saving in neonates and children with isolated respiratory failure, however, its usefulness in adults remains controversial. We report the successful use of ECMO in an adult patient with severe hypoxemic respiratory failure secondary to diffuse alveolar hemorrhage from Wegener granulomatosis.