Thoracic transplantationLungBridge to Lung Transplantation by Venovenous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A Lesson Learned on the First Four Cases
Section snippets
Patients and Methods
In the last 2 years, 4 patients who were treated with ECMO in our intensive care unit were listed for urgent lung transplantation. Two were previously healthy persons; the other 2 were awaiting lung transplantation. Table 1 a synthesizes the clinical data.
Discussion
In the new millennium, ECMO has been successfully used as a bridge to lung transplantation. We have previously reported a short review of the 25 published clinical cases,3 adding our new 3 cases and the experience from Gothenburg (Sweden)4; 29 procedures are now available for analysis. Among that patient group, 8 individuals were in apparently good condition before a respiratory crisis produced a dramatic, definitive impairment of pulmonary function.
Our experience highlights at least 3 points
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Use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as a bridge to primary lung transplant: 3 consecutive, successful cases and a review of the literature
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Use of Venovenous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation as a bridge to urgent lung transplantation in a case of acute respiratory failure
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Prolonged extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and circulatory support as bridge to lung transplant
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Cited by (35)
Mechanical ventilation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as a bridge to lung transplantation: Closing the gap
2019, Journal of Heart and Lung TransplantationECMO Support in Lung Transplantation: A Contemporary Analysis of Hospital Charges in the United States
2017, Annals of Thoracic SurgeryCitation Excerpt :The group went further to cite other benefits such as the attenuation of both critical illness polyneuropathy and the deconditioning that frequently accompanies ECMO usage [16]. In the same vein, Nosotti and colleagues [18] also reported that patients who could breathe spontaneously while on ECMO had increased survival compared with patients who were mechanically ventilated. Our analysis also confirmed that median LOS is higher in the ECMO cohort, in keeping with previous reports.
Candidacy for Lung Transplant and Lung Allocation
2015, Thoracic Surgery ClinicsExtracorporeal membrane oxygenation as a bridge to lung transplantation in the United States: An evolving strategy in the management of rapidly advancing pulmonary disease
2015, Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular SurgeryExperience of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as a bridge to lung transplantation in France
2013, Journal of Heart and Lung TransplantationCitation Excerpt :In the past decade, along with improvements in artificial lung devices and experience in use of ECMO for other indications,8,17 ECMO has been used with a growing frequency as a bridge to LTx.6 However, data concerning the benefit of ECMO for this indication remain limited.9–16 Moreover, the reported experience most often originates from highly experienced centers, which could result in a biased estimate of the benefits of ECMO as a bridge to LTx in current practice.