Right Ventricular Hypertrophy in Patients Undergoing Venovenous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

We read with interest the article by Lazzeri et al., which observed that in patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) treated with venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV ECMO), right ventricle (RV) hypertrophy (RVH) was present in 61% of patients (28 of 46) before ECMO cannulation, and all patients showed RVH at intensive care unit (ICU) discharge.1 RVH was defined as RV end-diastolic free wall thickness (RVFWT) greater than 5 mm. The results of this study, which for the first time assessed the incidence of RVH in mechanically ventilated ARDS patients before and after ECMO support, trigger a few important considerations.
Source: Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia - Category: Anesthesiology Authors: Tags: Letters to the Editor Source Type: research