Conclusion
ECMO is a cardiopulmonary support often used in patients who fail to be
weaned off CPB, who are likely to have reversible causes. Although there
are several complications related to its use, there are steps that can
be done to minimise their occurrence. New components and variations of
ECMO are being trialled providing better prospects for patients. It has
also seen a recent surge of its use in COVID-19 patients. Studies
analysed in this article have shown that the circulatory support
provided by VA-ECMO improves survival rates for PCCS in patients
undergoing cardiac surgery, without which patient mortality rates would
be much greater. These benefits of VA-ECMO are especially seen post-CABG
and post-valve surgery patients.