Venovenous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Analysis

As discussed by David, Andrew, Michael, & Jerrold (2007) and Tiruvoipati & Peek (2008) the mode of ECMO Therapy chosen for a patient is tailored to the type of treatment and goal you are trying to accomplish. In the Venovenous mode (VV mode) it normally treats respiratory failure and the Venoarterial mode (VA mode) treat cardiorespiratory failure.4-5 In figure 1 below it shows the difference between Venoarterial and Venovenous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.
Venoarterial ECMO Venovenous ECMO
Higher PaO2 is achieved. Lower PaO2 is achieved.
Lower perfusion rates are needed. Higher perfusion rates are needed.
Bypasses pulmonary circulation Maintains pulmonary blood flow
Decreases pulmonary artery pressures Elevates mixed venous PO2
Provides …show more content…
The drainage cannula placement for VA ECMO is the right internal jugular vein or the femoral vein.4 The placement for the returning cannula for the oxygenated blood is the patient femoral, carotid, and or the axilliary artery.4 If the heart surgery deems it necessary for a patient to placed on ECMO after heart surgery they will place the cannulas in the right atrium and the thoracic aorta.4 VA ECMO should only be used in cardiac failure not respiratory failure alone.4 “Though there are many benefits to VA ECMO there are also many risk.4 When placing the cannulas in the artery an incision made making the chance of increased bleeding around the site or an air embolism.4 There is a risk of compromised cardiac and pulmonary function, left ventricle distention with pulmonary edema”4 (David, Andrew, Michael, & Jerrold, 2007). A more serious problem is utilizing VA ECMO wrong trying to place a patient with exceptional cardiac function with respiratory failure causing the coronary arteries and the cerebral vessels to perfuse due to deoxygenated