History of extracorporeal life support

Abstract

ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation), also called ECLS (extracorporeal life support), in its actual application is an evolution of the heart-lung machines used in cardiac surgery. Depending on its configuration - venovenous or venoarterial - it is used to support respiratory function, circulation, or both. This treatment provides a bridge, either to healing of the natural organs or to long-term devices or transplantation. In fact, although ECMO has the capability to support cardiorespiratory function temporarily, it is not a cure for the underlying disease. As Warren Zapol, one of the fathers of respiratory ECMO, pinpointed in an editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1972, the goal of ECLS is to “buy time” while sustaining an adequate tissue perfusion [ 1 ].