Venovenous ECMO as a bridge to lung transplant and a protective strategy for subsequent primary graft dysfunction

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is an established therapy for primary graft dysfunction (PGD) in adults after lung transplant, while venovenous (VV) ECMO is an evolving therapy that can bridge patients to lung transplantation. This report describes a case of relatively quick improvement of grade 3 PGD, based on the PaO2/FIO2 (P/F) ratio, in a 17-year-old patient with cystic fibrosis who was bridged to lung transplantation with ambulatory VV ECMO and then received support with VV ECMO as a protective strategy during the initial phases of PGD after lung transplantation.