Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Anticoagulation

Excerpt

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is becoming a more widely available form of prolonged cardiopulmonary support worldwide. The main objective of utilizing ECMO is to provide systemic perfusion and gas exchange while allowing recovery of the heart and lungs or to act as a bridge to a more definitive therapy such as transplantation. The two types of ECMO, veno-arterial and veno-venous, both provide pulmonary support. However, veno-arterial ECMO also provides hemodynamic support. Of the numerous complications that can occur during ECMO, thromboembolism remains the second major reported complication, surpassed only by bleeding.