Institution of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation late after lung transplantation - a futile exercise?

The use of and indications for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) are expanding as its reliability improves with widely varying results reported. A retrospective review of 24 lung transplant recipients who required ECMO support postoperatively was performed with 13 patients requiring ECMO within the first 48 h ( early group) and 11 requiring ECMO after seven d postoperatively ( late group). The majority of early ECMO group had primary graft failure patients and the late ECMO group comprised patients with infection or non-specific graft failure.