Abstract
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for rescue therapy, in pulmonary and cardiopulmonary failure, has been well described in the literature. Improvements in technology and critical care have allowed for increased utilization secondary to improvement in clinical outcomes (Mosier et al. Crit Care 19:431, 2015). To date, application for special populations, such as in obstetric patients, is not clearly defined (Pacheco et al. Semin Perinatol 42(1):21–5, 2018). Multiple case reports have been published supporting ECMO use in pregnancy and the peripartum period. In this chapter, the basics of ECMO will be discussed along with its potential utilization in the obstetric patients.