How To Cannulate for ECMO
Case description
The ECMO stands for Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation. It is a device, which provides both respiratory and circulatory support for people whose heart and lungs are unable to provide eough blood oxygenation and perfusion for the organs, regardless the reason.
The ECMO works, by removing the blood from the patient's body. Then the blood is oxygenated and decarbonated by the artificial ""lung"" and then it's returned to the body by the pump. The indications of ECMO include acute severe cardiac or pulmonary failure, which is unresponsive to the conventional treatment but is also potentially reversible.
This video illustrates the technique for venoarterial ECMO with right axillary artery and femoral venous cannulation. Video by Arie Blitz, MD.