Part of the Core Critical Care series, this book is an easy-to-read guide for the aspiring ECMO clinician. Doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, dieticians, pharmacists and all other key members of the team will learn the basics required to better understand the technology and care of the patient.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been in clinical use for some 40 years, but it is only in the past decade that its application in the treatment of life-threatening circulatory and respiratory failure has truly flourished. This book presents a comprehensive overview of both pathophysiological and practical aspects of circulatory and respiratory extracorporeal support. The basics of ECMO, including its history, the “ECMO team”, cannulation, materials, and blood-surface interactions, are first discussed. The various indications for and particular characteristics of circulatory and respiratory extracorporeal life support are then described in detail in the main part of the book. Patient care during ECMO and monitoring of the ECMO patient are also carefully covered, with explanation of the management of technical and clinical complications and transport-related problems. Further topics include long-term therapy options beyond ECMO, such as ventricular assist devices and transplants, outcome, the new frontiers of ECMO for organ procurement and future challenges. The authors are well-known experts in the field whose authoritative contributions and attention to practical aspects will be invaluable for novices and experienced practitioners alike.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), despite a long and troubled history, is very rapidly evolving into a therapy that can be safely and effectively applied across the world in patients experiencing acute cardiac and/or pulmonary failure. As experiences grow, there is a better understanding of nuances of the importance of teamwork, therapy guidelines and protocols, patient selection, and understanding the functional aspects of pump-circuit technology as it interfaces with human biology. The challenges in managing these very sick and complex patients cannot be understated. The goal of this text is to provide a framework for the development and successful growth of a program. Authors from Centers of Excellence Worldwide have shared their experiences in the full spectrum in dealing with this evolving field.

This book explores the unique aspects involved in the management of ECMO patients such as physiopathology and indications, setting up the device, monitoring ECMO and the patient, troubleshooting, ethical aspects and rehabilitation. For the past eight years, management of acute heart failure and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) patients has been improved by the development of short-term assistance devices, with ECMO as a first line treatment. This highly informative book provides essential insights for ICU nurses at ECMO centers around the world, who face the substantial challenges involved in the management of ECMO patients. Above all, it meets their training needs with regard to bedside monitoring for these patients, which has become a major issue. The editors and most of the contributors serve at La Pitié-Salpétrière ICU, France, which, in terms of the number of admissions and major publications produced, is one of the world’s leading authorities on ECMO.

This book presents a concise, evidence-based review of extracorporeal life support (ECLS) for adult diseases. It describes the use of ECLS with patients who are experiencing severe hypoxemic respiratory failure (ARDS and pneumonia), ventilatory failure (status asthmaticus and COPD), cardiogenic shock and circulatory or gas exchange failure following complications in cardiothoracic surgery, as well as its use as a bridge to lung transplant. Historically, clinicians have used ECLS as a last resort; however, this text details the technological improvements, evidence of improved outcomes and adverse consequences of alternative treatments that are causing this modality to be more commonly adopted. Topics include a description of the complex physiology and technology underlying ECLS; the evidence base for its use in specific clinical conditions; vascular access techniques; daily management of the circuit and patient; guidance regarding the weaning and decannulation process and recommendations for crisis management and rehabilitation related to ECLS. Extracorporeal Life Support for Adults is ideal reading for practicing physicians, nurses, perfusion specialists, therapists and critical care trainees who are considering whether to refer their patients for ECLS or are already providing ECLS and are seeking a practical reference to best practices and updated information.