ECMO and Survival

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a technology capable of providing short-term mechanical support to the heart, lungs, or both. Despite being employed clinically first in the 1970s [1], the more widespread use of ECMO in critically ill adult patients is a recent phenomenon [2], and the number of centers offering ECMO has grown rapidly. During the same period, the indications for ECMO in adults have expanded from refractory severe respiratory and cardiac failure [3] to extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) [4] and as a bridge to lung transplantation [5]. Furthermore, the use of ECMO is strongly established in neonatal and pediatrics populations [6].