Paediatric patients across NSW will now have better access to advanced technology which provides live saving critical care and life support, thanks to the Kids ECMO Referral Service (KERS).

Hosted by Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network (SCHN), the statewide service enables Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) to be provided on the road using specially designed mobile equipment and highly specialised retrieval teams. 

ECMO provides temporary life support for critically ill patients who have reversible acute respiratory or cardiac failure that are not responding to conventional treatments. 

The therapy uses a mechanical pump to take blood from the patient, remove the carbon dioxide and add oxygen to the blood before recirculating it through the body. By doing the work of the heart and lungs, ECMO allows the heart and lungs to rest and recover while the patient’s condition is treated. 

Dr Marino Festa, KERS Medical Director at SCHN, said the service builds on the capacity of The Children's Hospital at Westmead and Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick to provide ECMO remotely.

“What we have been able to do is offer a referral service to local hospitals where they can get highly specialised advice and guidance on the most critically ill patients to determine if they will benefit from ECMO. If the answer is yes, we can deploy a team within an hour and get that child the urgent care they need while on the road, instead of waiting until they get to a paediatric hospital in Sydney,” Dr Festa said. 

ECMO can be used to help manage conditions including severe infection or sepsis caused by bacteria, influenza or enterovirus as well as other severe forms of neonatal and paediatric heart and lung disease. For two-year-old Jack it was a lifesaving intervention after he was born with severe meconium aspiration at his local hospital in Canberra. The condition meant Jack's lungs weren't working properly, which was life-threatening.

Within 24 hours, the KERS team attended Canberra Hospital, placed Jack on mobile ECMO and transferred him with the support of the NETS team to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.

"We feel so lucky. There was so much that went wrong but we are grateful for everything that went right. Jack simply wouldn't be here today if the KERS service didn't exist," Jack's mum, Rosie, said.

"They were like angels that came in to save our son and they were right there when we needed them. I can't thank them enough," Jack's dad, David, added. 

The KERS team provides highly specialised advice to local hospitals and can be deployed within an hour, once mobile ECMO is determined to be the best option for treatment. KERS is led by a dedicated paediatric ECMO intensive care specialist, and comprises a cardiothoracic surgeon, scrub nurse and perfusionist who work with the team from the Newborn and paediatric Emergency Transport Service (NETS).

“This service has been made possible through the collaboration of expert clinicians and existing health services within the state. It has the potential to truly transform the care available to children and families and positively impact outcomes, particularly in the regional and remote parts of our state,” Dr Festa said.

Minister for Health, Ryan Park, officially launched the service at event held at NETS Base in Bankstown, celebrating the skill and expertise of paediatric healthcare teams across Sydney Children's Hospitals Network.

“KERS enhances equity of access to vital healthcare for children when they are at their most vulnerable and makes it possible to deliver lifesaving critical care across NSW,” Minister Park said.

“This service demonstrates the potential to change outcomes for children like Jack through collaboration not just across our paediatric services, but right across the health system.”

Thankfully, Jack has made a full recovery, with no need for follow up care.