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Principles of Rodent Surgery for the New Surgeon
Published on: January 6, 2011
Principles and indications of extracorporeal life support in general thoracic surgery
1Department of Anesthesia and Pain Management, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.
Abstract:
The role of extracorporeal life support (ECLS) has expanded rapidly over the past 15 years to become an important tool in advanced general thoracic surgery practice. Intra-operative and in some cases continued post-operative ECLS is redefining the scope of complex surgical care. ECLS encompasses a spectrum of temporary mechanical support that may remove CO2, oxygenate or provide hemodynamic support or a combination thereof. The most common modalities used in general thoracic surgery include extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), interventional lung assist device (iLA® Novalung®, Heilbronn, Germany), and extracorporeal CO2 removal (ECCO2R). The ECMO and Novalung® devices can be used in different modes for the short term or long-term support depending on the situation. In this review, the principles and current applications of ECLS in general thoracic surgery are presented.
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