The Roles of Venopulmonary Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation

Concise definitive review of the use of venopulmonary arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V-PA ECMO) support in patients with cardiopulmonary failure.

Original investigations identified through a PubMed search with search terms "percutaneous right ventricular assist device," "oxy-RVAD," "V-PA ECMO," and "veno-pulmonary arterial ECMO" were reviewed and evaluated for relevance.

Studies that included more than three patients supported with V-PA ECMO were included.

Clinically relevant data from included studies, including patient-important outcomes, were summarized and discussed.

We identified four groups of patients where V-PA ECMO has been studied: acute respiratory distress syndrome, right ventricular dysfunction after left ventricular assist device placement, bridge to lung transplantation, and pulmonary embolism. Most identified works are small, single center, and retrospective in nature, precluding definitive conclusions regarding the efficacy of V-PA ECMO. There have been no clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of V-PA ECMO for any indication.

V-PA ECMO is a promising form of extracorporeal support for patients with right ventricular dysfunction. Future work should focus on identifying the optimal timing and populations for the use of V-PA ECMO.