ECMO and the Treatment of Adult Pulmonary Failure

In this video, an expert panel discusses the use of ECMO in the treatment of adult pulmonary failure. Marcus Williams presents the case history of a 42-year-old patient who was placed on ECMO after an acute lung injury that resulted in increasingly difficult oxygenation and worsening hypotension. Thomas Wozniak and Joseph Zwischenberger weigh in on the case and share ECMO tips and techniques.

This presentation was originally given at the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association 61st Annual Meeting with the following learning objectives:

• Assess the need for veno-venous vs. veno-arterial ECMO.
• Discuss preferred and alternative cannulation sites and techniques.
• Discuss the components of an ECMO circuit.
• Discuss anticoagulant management of an ECMO patient.
• Discuss weaning techniques and criteria for separation from ECMO.

This educational presentation was originally given during the Postgraduate Program at the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association 61st Annual Meeting. This content is published with the permission of the STSA. For more information on the STSA and its upcoming meeting, please click here.