Lung Volume Reduction Surgery on Extracorporeal Life Support

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation During Adult Noncardiac Surgery and Perioperative Emergencies: A Narrative Review

Over the last decade, the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has increased significantly. In some centers, ECMO has been deployed to manage perioperative emergencies and plays a role in facilitating high-risk thoracic, airway, and trauma surgery, which may not be feasible without ECMO support. General anesthesiologists who usually manage these cases may not be familiar with the initiation and management of patients on ECMO. This review discusses the use of ECMO in the operating room for thoracic, airway, and trauma surgery, as well as obstetric and perioperative emergencies.

Effects of Bronchoscopic Lung Volume Reduction Coil Treatment on Arterial Blood Gases

BACKGROUND

Bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BLVR) coil treatment is an increasingly used treatment modality for selected severe emphysema patients in recent years. Emphysema causes dynamic hyperinflation, loss of elastic recoil, air trapping, and decreased exercise capacity in advanced stages. This process progresses over time, leading to hypoxic and hypercapnic respiratory failure. The goal of this study is to elucidate the effects of BLVR coil treatment on arterial blood gas parameters in severe emphysema patients with respiratory failure.

METHODS

This is a retrospective study performed at a single pneumology center in Turkey. In total, this study included 39 patients diagnosed with severe emphysema who underwent bilateral BLVR coil treatment according to the general inclusion and exclusion criteria in the literature. The patients baseline and 12-month data were collected from medical records.

RESULTS

Twelve months after BLVR coil treatment, significant improvements were observed in patients' pulmonary function tests, an increase in partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood (PaO2) from 58.05±9.36 to 73.82±13.3 (P<0.000) and decrease in partial pressure of carbon dioxide in arterial blood (PaCO2) of hypercapnic patients (from 51.60±4.1 to 46.55±6.6 mm Hg; P=0.001).

CONCLUSION

BLVR coil treatment is reliable and effective in emphysema patients who have hypoxic or mild hypercapnic respiratory failure. Besides improving lung function, BLVR coil treatment can significantly increase PaO2 and decrease PaCO2 in the medium term.

Pulmonary lobectomy in two multitrauma patients under extracorporeal circulation placed preoperatively in an intensive care unit: A case report

The clinical course of our two patients highlights the feasibility of using venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) with heparin for multitraumatic patients needing thoracic surgery. Further research is required to determine if surgery can be performed with totally heparin-free vv-ECMO. All ICU teams should become familiar with this technique.