Services & Specialties

Severe Lung Failure Center

Expert Care for Children With Severe Lung Failure

When your child has severe lung failure, you want clear answers and a team with experience.

At Cincinnati Children’s Severe Lung Failure Center, we specialize in treating children with severe lung disease or injury caused by acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), necrotizing pneumonia, or refractory pulmonary air leak syndrome who need prolonged extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

Our team combines multidisciplinary expertise, advanced treatment approaches, and compassionate support to offer new hope to children who may have few other options, with the goal of helping them regain meaningful lung function.

A Personalized Plan for Every Child

Every child’s condition and treatment needs are different. Our specialists develop an individualized care plan based on your child’s condition, diagnostic tests, treatment history, and response to care.

Our goal is to give each child the best possible chance of survival and meaningful lung function recovery.

Support for Families Traveling Far

Seeking specialized care can be challenging, especially when your child is critically ill. When patients are referred to our center, our team helps coordinate care and travel needs to make the process easier for your family.

When needed, our highly skilled Transport Team can transport critically ill children, including those receiving ECMO, to Cincinnati Children’s.

Expert Second Opinions

About 90% of our new patients come to Cincinnati Children’s Severe Lung Failure Center for a second opinion. We provide consultations and accept referrals for critically ill children whose conditions have not improved with treatment at another hospital.

Our team thoroughly reviews each child's case to identify potential treatment options and help families understand possible next steps in their child’s care.