Page 6 - Virtual Vascular Vol 2 Sep 2020-f

Extracorporeal Membrane

Oxygenation (ECMO)

• ECMO is a life-saving technique to manage refractory cardiopulmonary
failure

• In veno-arterial (VA) ECMO, the venous cannula is placed in the common
femoral vein with the tip of the venous cannula near the junction of the

inferior vena cava and right atrium for extraction of blood for artificial

oxygenation and removal of carbon dioxide Arterial Venous

cannula cannula
• The blood is then returned to the patient via the arterial cannula placed

in the femoral artery with the tip in the iliac artery or aorta

• Peripheral ECMO via the femoral vessels is simpler, but central VA ECMO

can also be used if cardiopulmonary bypass has already been established
or emergency re-sternotomy has been performed, with the venous

cannula in the right atrium or vena cavae, and arterial cannula in the

ascending aorta).

• The circuit needs to be anticoagulated with heparin

A patient in ICU on veno-arterial ECMO with the cannulae in the right femoral vein

and artery.

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