You are the physician on call for the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) service. There are 5 calls today, but only one machine and one technologist available. Which of the following patients is the most appropriate recipient of this service?
A 1-day-old, full-term, anencephalic 4-kg boy suffering from meconium aspiration syndrome and hypoxia A 75-year-old man with Alzheimer disease, severe pneumonia, and elevated pulmonary aerial pressure A 5-year-old girl with rhabdomyosarcoma metastatic to the lungs A 3-day-old boy preoperative for a congenital diaphragmatic hernia