ECMO Indications & Patient Selection Flashcards
6 cards from real CES practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 ECMO Indications & Patient Selection flashcards as text
Which contraindication to ECMO is considered RELATIVE rather than absolute?
Answer: Age > 70 years with multisystem disease
Advanced age with multisystem disease is a relative contraindication; decisions require individualized risk-benefit assessment.
In the ELSO registry, which diagnosis has the highest ECMO survival rate in neonates?
Answer: Meconium aspiration syndrome
Meconium aspiration syndrome consistently shows the highest survival rates among neonatal ECMO indications in ELSO data.
What is the primary purpose of the 'ECMO bridge to decision' strategy?
Answer: To allow time for organ recovery or decision-making about definitive therapy
Bridge to decision ECMO maintains perfusion while the team assesses candidacy for transplant, VAD, or other definitive therapy.
Which laboratory finding most strongly suggests a patient is not a good ECMO candidate due to pre-existing organ dysfunction?
Answer: Pre-existing liver cirrhosis with INR > 3.0
Pre-existing liver cirrhosis with significant coagulopathy indicates end-stage hepatic failure, increasing ECMO mortality and bleeding risk substantially.
ECMO is considered for cardiac arrest (ECPR) most favorably when CPR duration prior to cannulation is:
Answer: < 60 minutes with witnessed arrest and reversible etiology
ECPR outcomes are best with witnessed arrest, short no-flow/low-flow intervals, and a potentially reversible underlying cause.
Which patient population was the original primary indication when ECMO was first widely adopted clinically?
Answer: Neonates with respiratory failure
ECMO was first widely adopted for neonates with respiratory failure in the 1970s–1980s, becoming standard of care for conditions like MAS and CDH.