[2 successful treatments with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in neonates with severe respiratory problems].

We report the successful treatment with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation of two Dutch neonates with severe respiratory insufficiency, due to meconium aspiration syndrome and persistent fetal circulation respectively. During this procedure part of the cardiac output is led outside the body via a venous cannula in the right atrium, oxygenated in a membrane oxygenator, rewarmed to the patient's body temperature in a heat exchanger and returned to the patient via a cannula in the carotid artery debouching into the aortic arch.