Management and complications of venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

Abstract

This article reviews the management of patients treated with venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for acute respiratory failure refractory to the conventional therapies. The period of extracorporeal respiratory support can be divided in three successive periods: the period of ECMO initiation, the period of treatment with ECMO, and the period of ECMO weaning. We will describe the main technical aspects of ECMO as well as the monitoring of the extracorporeal circuit and the ECMO-treated patient. The most frequent complications in each period of the management of ECMO-treated patients will be described and the possible adequate solutions will be considered.