[Indications for and results of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (author's transl)]

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a new and, in the hands of an experienced team, safe method for treating severe acute respiratory insufficiency. It protects the patient against the risk of hypoxia and respiratory acidosis and, provided there is a chance of survival, allows the repair of the damaged lung tissue. The chances of success depend on whether the lung damage is reversible since, so far as is known, ECMO has not, or only very rarely, any effect on the actual lesion. Reliable prognostic criteria are therefore needed in the choice of suitable cases. Persons with acute non-infectious lung disease who receive this treatment within a few hours or days after the onset of the disease have the best chances of survival.