Venopulmonary Artery Extracorporeal Life Support (VPa ECMO): A Novel Strategy for Refractory Hypoxemia Complicating VV ECMO.

Refractory hypoxemia (RH) during venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV ECMO) support is a complex problem that limits the benefit of this therapy. The need for sustained deep sedation and delays in active rehabilitation are considered as a direct consequence of RH. Changing from VV ECMO to a configuration that returns the flow to pulmonary artery, such as venopulmonary extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VPa ECMO) may decrease recirculation and improve systemic oxygen delivery.

Maternal-Fetal Results of COVID-19-Infected Pregnant Women Treated with Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A Descriptive Report.

Objective: COVID-19 infection may produce severe pneumonia, mainly in the adult population. Pregnant women with severe pneumonia are at high risk of developing complications, and conventional therapy sometimes fails to reverse hypoxemia. Therefore, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is an option in cases with refractory hypoxemic respiratory failure.