In the 16 patients who passed the ECMO-free trials, 14 (87.5%) were decannulated from venovenous ECMO, with a median time of 2.5 days from first passed ECMO-free trial to decannulation.

Khan IM, Morris NA "After ECMO decannulation, are patients thriving or just surviving?" Neurology 2024; DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000209144.

Patients in the prone positioning group did not experience any serious adverse events such as unintentional ECMO decannulation, nonscheduled extubation or severe hemoptysis, according to researchers.

ECMO machines pump blood out of the body, add oxygen and remove carbon dioxide, and then put the blood back in. It’s a labor-intensive therapy that requires a team of specialists.

Buchtele, N., et al. (2022) Add-On Prostaglandin E1 in Venovenous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-controlled Pilot Trial. American Journal of Respiratory ...

For extremely sick patients, an advanced form of life support called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO, cuts the risk of dying from Covid-19 by half, according to a new study by ...

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a treatment that adds oxygen to your blood and pumps it through your body. Learn how it works, when you might need it, and what to expect.

ECMO machines became a last-ditch treatment for COVID. But only half of the patients who got ECMO survived, raising questions about whether this expensive and hard to access treatment is worth it.