The Public Relations staff is committed to providing media with the most up-to-date information about Children's National Medical Center, as well as a wide range of pediatric health issues. The Public Relations staff is available Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.--5 p.m., to schedule interviews, provide background information and arrange media visits to the hospital. Call 202-884-4500 for Public Relations assistance.

If you need to reach the Public Relations staff after normal business hours (for condition reports only, please), call 202-884-5000 and ask for the Public Relations staff person on call.

Latest News

State-of-the-art Technology Continuing to Save Lives

No parent wants to hear that their child has such severe lung or heart disease that regular medical therapy is not able to provide enough support for continued life. But children at Children´s National Medical Center (CNMC) have a great benefit since they are at the site of the region´s only extracorpeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) program that can support children from the newborn period and on through childhood.

Extracorpeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) is a modified form of cardiopulmonary bypass, which provides support for both the heart and lung function of the patient. ECMO is used successfully at CNMC in both neonates and older children. A new area of focus is in those children who need cardiac support in a postoperative period.

Children´s National Medical Center was one of the leaders in the installation of an ECMO program in 1984, with only three other programs in the country at the time. The multidisciplinary program, both in execution and research, has since grown to be one of the largest in the country and is recognized regionally, nationally and internationally. The program´s multidisciplinary research component tests the use of ECMO, its effect on the body and how to make the equipment safer. Children´s ECMO program also has the most extensive outcome data for the ECMO population in the world.