Prevalence and Survival of Prolonged VV ECMO for ARDS

journals.lww.com July 10, 2024

The understanding of prolonged venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV ECMO) in the setting of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is evolving and durations of support once considered extreme are now commonplace.

Given the observed survivability of VV ECMO for ARDS in even the most prolonged cases, the practice of subjectively withdrawing care for presumed futility based on duration of VV ECMO support should be reconsidered.

Patients that survive the initial inflammatory cascade of ARDS without clear contraindications to continued support may benefit from prolonged support to allow for respiratory recovery.

13,681 patients that required ECMO for the support of ARDS between January 2012 and December 2022.