Anesthesia Key

When I am consenting a family for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and discussing the risks and benefits to initiating ­support, bleeding and clotting are the most common risks that are…

Next time you are reviewing the chart for your patient, take a look at the medication administration record. Every entry represents a decision – a decision to alter the physiology…

By this point you have probably developed a healthy skepticism for the ventilator. While remaining an undeniable cornerstone in the support of critically ill patients, we have gone into the…

Adjustments to sweep gas flow are probably the most common adjustments that you will make in the course of an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) run. While it is entirely feasible…

Imagine that you are initiating a patient on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). The cannulas are in excellent position and the circuit is connected and ready to go. You release the…

We will now continue our exploration of VA ECMO physiology by considering the physiology of centrally cannulated VA ECMO. The proportion of central cannulation is largely facility dependent. While some…

Hopefully by this point, you are starting to develop a much better sense of the principles at play when someone is on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). We started with the…

Let’s now continue our exploration of the fundamentals of extracorporeal membrane ­oxygenation (ECMO) support by discussing cannulation configurations. To remind ourselves, the basic ­function of the ECMO circuit is to…

There is nothing intuitive about retrograde flow. You are pumping blood in one direction into the arterial system, which is the opposite direction that blood is supposed to flow. At…

We are now going to continue our journey by exploring the physiology of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support. You may find the chapters to follow to be the cornerstone of…