ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) is a process in which blood is oxygenated and circulated to the brain and other critical organs. Highly skilled doctors insert garden hose-sized tubes, called cannulas, into blood vessels in the neck or groin. These tubes are then connected to the ECMO device, which uses a pump to remove the blood from the body, pass it through an artificial lung, and then return it to the body. It keeps the patients alive while the lungs, and possibly heart, heal. There are not enough centers to care for the number of patients who could have benefitted from the therapy. ECMO is the crucial last option for patients with severe ARDS, COVID-19 and Cardiogenic Shock with respiratory failure. It has to be the most discussed therapy during the past 2 years because of its use during the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of ECMO centers was growing at a rapid pace before the COVID-19 Pandemic.

As health care professionals continue to battle COVID-19 and its variants, ECMO capacity has been strained. As CNN reported on February 2022 For extremely sick patients, an advanced form of life support called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO, cuts the risk of dying from Covid-19 by half, according to a new study by researchers at Vanderbilt University In the last two years, the use of ECMO is increasing exponentially around the world. There exists a gap between experienced providers and those with less experience both in terms of knowledge and proficiency that can translate to improved outcomes in more experienced ECMO centers. The ECMO Book seeks to bridge that gap by offering a comprehensive yet approachable framework for understanding the principles of extracorporeal support as well as the subtleties related to the care of patients needing ECMO. The book develops the fundamentals, exploring the essential aspects of physiology and building on these concepts by applying them to extracorporeal support It is designed to equip the reader with a better framework for how the care of patients with severe cardiac and respiratory failure can be managed with extracorporeal support. Establishes the context of ECMO in the care of critically ill patients (patient selection, indications, contraindications), progressing from basic science information through advanced ECMO concepts. Explores physiologic fundamentals and builds on these concepts by applying them to extracorporeal support, equipping you with a sound framework for how those principles can be applied in the day-to-day management of patients with severe cardiac and respiratory failure. Covers key topics such as blood flow titration, sweep gas titration, ventilator management on ECMO, and anticoagulation and bleeding management.

An eBook version is included with purchase. The eBook allows you to access all of the text, figures and references, with the ability to search, customize your content, make notes and highlights, and have content read aloud. N/A.