The Ventilatory Ratio as a Predictor of Successful Weaning from a Veno-Venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenator.

Veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) is a critical intervention for patients with severe lung failure, especially acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The weaning process from ECMO relies largely on expert opinion due to a lack of evidence-based guidelines. The ventilatory ratio (VR), which correlates with dead space and mortality in ARDS, is calculated as [minute ventilation (mL/min) x arterial pCO (mmHg)]/[predicted body weight × 100 × 37.