PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Tejaswini Kulkarni
AU  - Nirmal S. Sharma
AU  - Enrique Diaz-Guzman
TI  - Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in adults: A practical guide for internists
AID  - 10.3949/ccjm.83a.15021
DP  - 2016 May 01
TA  - Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine
PG  - 373--384
VI  - 83
IP  - 5
4099  - http://www.ccjm.org/content/83/5/373.short
4100  - http://www.ccjm.org/content/83/5/373.full
SO  - Cleve Clin J Med2016 May 01; 83
AB  - The use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in adults has rapidly increased as the technology has evolved, although there is little definitive evidence that it is beneficial in this group. ECMO is now being used in acute respiratory distress syndrome (and was used extensively for this indication during the influenza H1N1 pandemic), as a bridge to lung or heart transplant, and in postcardiac arrest patients. We review the current evidence and indications for ECMO, focusing on its principles and practical aspects in adult patients with respiratory or cardiac failure.