Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in adults: a nursing challenge

ECMO is an aggressive treatment for selected patients who are unresponsive to conventional therapy for respiratory failure. Although its use in neonates is well documented, the number of successful reports in adults is limited. Venovenous ECMO represents a therapeutic option for adult patients with severe respiratory failure that has not responded to diuresis, high oxygen flows, and positive end-expiratory pressure. As medical centers obtain more experience with and resources for adult ECMO, critical care nurses will need to develop more familiarity with this technology.