VA ECMO for postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock in adults
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Description
Postcardiotomy refers to the period immediately after open-heart surgery. Postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock is when the heart cannot pump blood well enough to meet the body's needs. It is rare and life threatening.
Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO) is when blood is taken out of the body and put through an artificial pump and lung located outside the body (extracorporeal). The ECMO machine adds oxygen to the blood (oxygenation), removes carbon dioxide and pumps the blood around the body. Tubes take the blood out of a large vein and return it into a large artery (venoarterial). This is done over days or weeks. The aim is to provide oxygenated blood to the body, while the heart, or heart and lungs, recover, or as a bridge to a treatment.
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