Extracorporeal Gas Exchange for Acute Respiratory Failure in Adult Patients: A Systematic Review

Abstract

This article is one of ten reviews selected from the Annual Update in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine 2015 and co-published as a series in Critical Care. Other articles in the series can be found online at

Anticoagulation during ECMO: The Past, Present and Future

“…This period was a turning point for ECMO based treatment methods that were adopted in many tertiary healthcare centres since. The new advances in ECMO technologies and the development of more efficient circuits have also played a significant role in the wider acceptance of this methodology [2].…”

Cannulation techniques for extracorporeal life support

“…The arterial return is directed into descending aorta via arterial cannula (15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23). The size of the cannula depends on calibre of the vessels and flows required to achieve adequate circulatory support.…”

“…It is expected to overcome weaknesses of previous trials [CESAR trial (19)] with better control of mechanical ventilation in the control group, timing of ECMO onset, and strict adherence to randomization procedures (20).…”

“…The large randomized Strategy of Ultra Protective lung ventilation with Extracorporeal CO 2 Removal for New- Onset moderate to severe ARDS (SUPERNOVA) trial is currently underway, which will test the benefits of early tidal volume and plateau pressure reduction allowed by the latest generation ECCO 2 R device (PALP, MAQUET; ILA-active, NOVALUNG; Hemolung, ALung) in patients with moderate forms of ARDS (20).…”

Indications for extracorporeal support: why do we need the results of the EOLIA trial?

“…However, over the past few years, pivotal progress has been made in the conception and construction of ECMO circuits, rendering them more 'biocompatible' , effective, and resistant [16]. Good outcomes were reported for patients that received ECMO as rescue therapy during the H1N1 influenza pandemic [17][18][19], and the CESAR trial [20] yielded promising results, although it was highly criticized for methodological limitations.…”