Veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for the third millennium

Veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) can now be considered as a rescue therapy for severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients when mechanical ventilation is not sufficient to ensure efficient oxygenation and decarboxylation, or when high intrathoracic pressure are required to maintain adequate gas exchange (1).