Pumpless extracorporeal lung assist using an arterio-venous shunt. Applications and limitations.
We report the use of a pumpless extracorporeal lung assist (PECLA) in 70 patients with severe pulmonary failure of various causes. The device was used under rescue conditions in patients with preserved cardiac function. By establishing a shunt between femoral artery and vein using the arterio-venous pressure gradient as the driving force for the blood flow through the oxygenator, PECLA proved to be extremely effective in terms of oxygenation and carbon dioxide removal.
Liebold
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A
University of Regensburg, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Internal Medicine, Regensburg, Germany. andreas.liebold@klinik.uni-regensburg.de
Philipp
A
A
Kaiser
M
M
Merk
J
J
Schmid
F X
FX
Birnbaum
D E
DE
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001166:Arteriovenous Shunt, Surgical / Q000379:methods*; D015199:Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011175:Positive-Pressure Respiration; D012128:Respiratory Distress Syndrome / Q000628:therapy; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000628:therapy*