Venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for acute respiratory failure : A clinical review from an international group of experts.

Abstract

Despite expensive life-sustaining interventions delivered in the ICU, mortality and morbidity in patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF) remain unacceptably high. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has emerged as a promising intervention that may provide more efficacious supportive care to these patients. Improvements in technology have made ECMO safer and easier to use, allowing for the potential of more widespread application in patients with ARF. A greater appreciation of the complications associated with the placement of an artificial airway and mechanical ventilation has led clinicians and researchers to seek viable alternatives to providing supportive care in these patients. Thus, this review will summarize the current knowledge regarding the use of venovenous (VV)-ECMO for ARF and describe some of the recent controversies in the field, such as mechanical ventilation, anticoagulation and transfusion therapy, and ethical concerns in patients supported with VV-ECMO.

• Authors: Eddy Fan, Luciano Gattinoni, Alain Combes, Matthieu Schmidt, Giles Peek, Dan Brodie, Thomas Muller, Andrea Morelli, V Marco Ranieri, Antonio Pesenti, Laurent Brochard, Carol Hodgson, Cecile Van Kiersbilck, Antoine Roch, Michael Quintel, Laurent Papazian
• Journal: Intensive care medicine (Intensive Care Med) Vol. 42 Issue 5 Pg. 712-724 (May 2016) ISSN: 1432-1238 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 27007108 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)

Chemical References

• Anticoagulants

Topics

• Anticoagulants (therapeutic use)
• Blood Transfusion
• Critical Care
• Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (methods)
• Humans
• Respiration, Artificial
• Respiratory Distress Syndrome (therapy)