Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) and the Critical Cardiac Patient

ConclusionDue to its versatility and relatively low cost, VA ECMO use is sharply increasing worldwide. It is important to select patients carefully for this mode of therapy as it can keep patients alive even in states of severe neurologic impairment or multiorgan failure. Short courses of ECMO may allow critically ill patients to be salvaged, but ultimately survival depends on resolution of the underlying problem or ability to transition to another more durable mode of cardiac support.
Source: Current Transplantation Reports - Category: Transplant Surgery Source Type: research