Acute poisoning is characterized by a sudden and rapid onset, most poisons lack specific antidotes. Even with the full use of blood purification, mechanical ventilation, and various drugs, it is often difficult to change the fatal outcome of critically ill patients. In recent years, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has gradually gained attention and exploratory application in the treatment of acute poisoning due to its significant cardiopulmonary function support, veno-venous ECMO is used for severe lung injury after poisoning, acute respiratory distress syndrome and respiratory failure due to ineffective mechanical ventilation, and it can also be used to assist the removal of residual poisons in the lungs. Veno-arterial ECMO is commonly employed in patients with circulatory failure following poisoning, fatal cardiac arrhythmias, and arrest of cardiac and respiratory. The application of veno-arterio-venous ECMO has also been reported. The mode of ECMO necessitates timely adjustments according to the evolving illness, while ongoing exploration of additional clinical indications is underway. This review analyzes and evaluates the application scope and effectiveness of ECMO in acute poisoning in recent years, with a view to better exploring and rationalizing the use of this technology.
Cardiogenic shock (CS) describes a physiological state of end-organ hypoperfusion characterized by reduced cardiac output in the presence of adequate intravascular volume. Mortality still remains exceptionally high. Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO) has become the preferred device for short-term hemodynamic support in patients with CS. ECMO provides the highest cardiac output, complete cardiopulmonary support. In addition, the device has portable characteristics, more familiar to medical personnel. VA ECMO provides cardiopulmonary support for patients in profound CS as a bridge to myocardial recovery. This review provides an overview of VA ECMO in salvage of CS, emphasizing the indications, management and further direction.
Objective To summarize and further investigate the initial experience of organ procurement process for organ donation after cardiac death （DCD）. Methods The clinical data，the selected standard，and the organ procurement process of 28 cases of DCD from July 2009 to January 2012 in the liver transplantation center of Guangzhou General Hospital were reviewed and analyzed. Results Twenty-eight cases of DCD all had donated organs successfully. Among these cases，there were 3 cases （10.7%） of the Maastricht Ⅲ， and one case （3.6%） of the Maastricht Ⅳ，and 24 cases （85.7%） of the organ donation after brain death plus cardiac death （DBCD）．Three cases of the Maastricht Ⅲ were practiced the organ procurement process of DCD．One case of the Maastricht Ⅳ was practiced the organ procurement process of DBCD without the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation （ECMO）．Twenty-four cases of DBCD were practiced the organ procurement process of DBCD with the ECMO．The donator warm ischemic time was zero min in DBCD，18 min in Maastricht Ⅳ，and mean 25 min （22-28 min） in MaastrichtⅢ．All the donated organs included 28 livers，40 kidneys，and 2 hearts．And all these organs had been practiced the liver transplantation，the kidney transplantation，and the heart transplantation. Conclusions The organ procurement process for organ DCD includes the DCD process and the DBCD process in China，and the later includes the organ procurement process with the ECMO and without the ECMO．The ECMO could well control the warm ischemia for protecting the donors just without ethics dispute. So，the using of the ECMO for the organ DCD of citizen in China has a very important contribution．
Lung transplantation is the only treatment for patients with end-stage lung diseases. And this field is also a research hotspot in the international field at presen. Relevant researches not only promote the progress and development of lung transplantation, but also improve the life quality of patients after transplantation. With the development of lung transplantation technology, the guidelines for identifying candidates are constantly being revised, and the source of donor lungs has always been an urgent problem for all transplantation centers. The standardized management during transplantation period involves anesthesia induction, intraoperative fluid management, airway management, management of important operative steps and postoperative pain management. Extracorporeal life support (ECLS) includes cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). With the progress and development of ECLS technology, the advantages of ECMO as a bridge for lung transplantation, intraoperative and postoperative circulatory support are becoming more and more prominent, enabling recipient patients to successfully pass the period of lung transplantation. Although lung transplantation in basic science and clinical researches has got a lot of progress, to improve the survival rate after transplantation, we must overcome many challenges including how to successfully perform lung transplantation, expand lung donor library, induce tolerance, and prevent complications after transplantation, primary graft dysfunction (PGD), cell and antibody mediated rejection and infection.
Objective To explore the feasibility and safety of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to support the airway reconstruction for the patients with airway obstruction or stenosis who cannot be ventilated routinely. Methods There were 3 patients received trachea reconstruction procedures assisted by ECMO. Among the patients, 2 cases with tracheal neoplasms underwent fibrobrochoscopy treatments, another one with endotracheal stenosis and fistula received tracheoplasty and semi-tracheostomy. Results ECMO can provide enough oxygenation for the patients with airway obstruction or stenosis and more time for advanced therapies. All three patients recovered after interventional surgeries, in whom one case died due to multiple organ failure caused by esophageal carcinoma metastasis after 3 months, and the others survived with dyspnea classification of 2-3 grade. Conclusion ECMO can be a safe and effective approch for the patients who cannot be ventilated conventionally in airway reconstruction.
[Abstract]Acute cardiac tamponade after thoracoscopic lobectomy is extremely rare and highly lethal once it occurs. This paper reports a case of a 64-year-old male with preoperative hypertension and coronary heart disease who underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic right upper lung wedge resection for early-stage lung adenocarcinoma. Three hours postoperatively, he suddenly developed hypotension and loss of consciousness. Ultrasound indicated a large amount of pericardial effusion, suggesting cardiac tamponade. Despite emergency pericardiocentesis, his hemodynamics did not improve, and the patient went into cardiac arrest. Subsequent veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was performed to support systemic circulation, and emergency thoracotomy was carried out. During the surgery, a needle-like tear in the anterior wall of the ascending aorta was found, corresponding exactly to a prominent staple at the lung resection margin, suggesting a stapler malfunction. After vascular repair, the patient recovered smoothly and was discharged. This case suggests that during lung resection, great attention should be paid to the integrity of staples and anatomical variations of large vessels, and vigilance is needed for rare but potentially fatal stapler-related complications.
[Abstract]The number of lung transplantation is gradually increasing worldwide, which brings new challenges to the multi-disciplinary team of lung transplantation. The prognosis of lung transplant recipients is seriously affected by the pathophysiological state of specific lung diseases and perioperative risk factors. It is of great significance for these patients to optimize perioperative management according to these factors. Recently, several expert consensus have been published regarding anesthesia management of lung transplantation. Based on the current evidence and clinical practice of West China Hospital, this review summarizes the key points of anesthesia management for lung transplant recipients to guide anesthesiologists' clinical practice.