Neurological injuries and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: the challenge of the new ECMO era

We present a case series of six neurological injuries that occurred in 1 year during the ECMO run or after the ECMO weaning. In each case the neurological complication had a dramatic effect: ranging from brain death to prolonged ICU stay and long term disability. This case series has an informative impact for the multidisciplinary teams treating ECMO patients because of its heterogeneity in pathogenesis and clinical manifestation: cerebral hemorrhage, ischemic stroke due to cerebral fat embolism, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis due to H1N1 Influenza. In our ECMO hub we started strict neurological monitoring involving intensivists, a neurologist and our radiology service, but neurological complications are still an insidious diagnosis and treatment. Considering several possible neurological injuries may help reduce delay in diagnosis and speed rehabilitation.
Source: Neurological Sciences - Category: Neurology Source Type: research