Prognosis After Seven Days of Veno-Venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Support.

Summary: When someone's lungs are very sick, doctors might use a special life-support machine called ECMO to add oxygen to their blood. But how do doctors know if the patient will actually get better? This study looked at nearly 300 patients on ECMO. They found that if a patient is still on the machine after seven days, doctors can check the machine's settings and the patient's breathing numbers to get a very good clue about their future. If the numbers look good, the patient has a much better chance of surviving and going home. If the numbers are very bad, survival is rare. This helps doctors and families know what to expect during a very stressful time.