ECMO as a Life Saving Technology in Neonatal Listeria Infection

Shira Rabinowicz ^1,6 Marina Rubinshtein ^2,6 Tzipora Strauss ^3,6 Galia Barkai ^4,6 Amir Vardi ^5,6 Gideon Paret ^2,6

¹Department of Pediatrics A, Edmond and Lily Safra Children’s Hospital, Sheba Medical Center, Tel- Hashomer, Israel
²Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Edmond and Lily Safra Children’s Hospital, Sheba Medical Center, Tel- Hashomer, Israel
³Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Edmond and Lily Safra Children’s Hospital, Sheba Medical Center, Tel- Hashomer, Israel
⁴Infectious Disease Unit, Edmond and Lily Safra Children’s Hospital, Sheba Medical Center, Tel- Hashomer, Israel
⁵Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, Edmond and Lily Safra Children’s Hospital, Sheba Medical Center, Tel- Hashomer, Israel
⁶Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel- Aviv University, Israel

Early- onset sepsis in the late preterm neonate due to Listeria Monocytogenes may be fatal in up to 60% of cases. Extra-corporal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is usually used in neonates due to respiratory failure or congenital cardiac malformations. We describe a case of a 36-weeks neonate treated with ECMO for decompensated septic shock following perinatal Listeria infection. Support started at 24 hours of age and was required for 84 hours, leading to survival with minimal sequela. We suggest considering this treatment in similar cases.