Dear J b: There is no "ideal" candidate and age alone is not used as an absolute contraindication. The questions that have to be asked is: Does this patient have a reversible disease that ECMO will provide sufficient time for the patient to recover and will this patient, even if surviving ECMO have a meaningful life afterwards. These are very difficult and guy wrenching questions, however, one must realize that ECMO is not a ubiquitous nor unlimited, as is also the case with the highly trained personnel to manage these complex systems. It is also very important to understand that ECMO is supportive, it is not curative. Many times the disease process overwhelms the lungs ability to recover and the lung become unrecoverable. It is very sad and really tragic, however, it is the harsh reality. Joe
Regarding patient selection. Who would or would not be an ideal candidate. Many elderly patients with covid out there.
Dear J b: There is no "ideal" candidate and age alone is not used as an absolute contraindication. The questions that have to be asked is: Does this patient have a reversible disease that ECMO will provide sufficient time for the patient to recover and will this patient, even if surviving ECMO have a meaningful life afterwards. These are very difficult and guy wrenching questions, however, one must realize that ECMO is not a ubiquitous nor unlimited, as is also the case with the highly trained personnel to manage these complex systems. It is also very important to understand that ECMO is supportive, it is not curative. Many times the disease process overwhelms the lungs ability to recover and the lung become unrecoverable. It is very sad and really tragic, however, it is the harsh reality. Joe
@@PerfWeb thank you for the response