Fit-for-Future: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic in Primary Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Transports of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) Patients.

(1) The COVID-19 pandemic presented significant challenges in managing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) being a critical but resource-intensive intervention. (2) This retrospective study analyzed veno-venous (VV) ECMO therapy in ARDS patients before and during the pandemic at a high-volume ECMO center in Germany. The study used a reduced ECMO team (one medical and one nursing specialist) to optimize patient care with limited resources, aiming to offer insights for future pandemic management.

Prevalence and prognostic relevance of invasive fungal disease during veno-arterial ECMO: A retrospective single-center study.

Purpose: To assess the prevalence and relevance of invasive fungal disease (IFD) during veno-arterial (V-A) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

Methods: Retrospective analysis from January 2013 to November 2023 of adult V-A ECMO cases at a German University Hospital. Parameters relating to IFD, demographics, length of stay (LoS), days on ECMO and mechanical ventilation, prognostic scores and survival were assessed.

Impact of Invasive Fungal Diseases on Survival under Veno-Venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for ARDS.

Objective: To assess the incidence and significance of invasive fungal diseases (IFD) during veno-venous (VV) ECMO support for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

Methods: Retrospective analysis from January 2013 to April 2021 of all ECMO cases for ARDS at a German University Hospital. In patients with IFD (IFD patients), type of IFD, time of IFD, choice of antifungal agent, duration, and success of therapy were investigated.

Endothelial cell PHD2-HIF1α-PFKFB3 contributes to right ventricle vascular adaptation in pulmonary hypertension.

Humans and animals with pulmonary hypertension (PH) show right ventricular (RV) capillary growth, which positively correlates with overall RV hypertrophy. However, molecular drivers of RV vascular augmentation in PH are unknown. Prolyl hydroxylase (PHD2) is a regulator of hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs), which transcriptionally activates several proangiogenic genes, including the glycolytic enzyme 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-biphosphatase 3 (PFKFB3).