Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for Kawasaki disease: Two case reports and the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization experience 1999-2015

Kawasaki disease is usually a limited illness of early childhood. However, life-threatening cardiac manifestations can occur, either at acute presentation or as a consequence of coronary arterial involvement. We report the successful use of veno-arterial (VA) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for cardiac support in two children with Kawasaki disease: one with acute Kawasaki disease shock syndrome, the other with complications of coronary arteritis and subsequent surgery. We also reviewed the reported experience in the ELSO database and available literature.