Q: What are the absolute and relative contraindications to Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in Patients with ARDS?

Answer:

Absolute contraindications to ECMO include:

• Ongoing terminal disease that will not resolve or stabilize,
• contraindication to anticoagulation,
• intracranial hemorrhage,
• refusal to receive blood products

Relative contraindications to ECMO (due to historically poor survival rates): 

• Mechanical ventilatory support for more than 10 days and high pressure mechanical ventilatory support for more than 7 days

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in Patients with ARDS - Pauline K. Park M.D., James M. Blum M.D., Lena M. Napolitano, M.D., Gail Annich, M.D., Jonathan W. Haft, M.D., and Robert H. Bartlett, M.D. - University of Michigan Health System -http://www.thoracic.org/clinical/critical-care/refractory-ards/pages/ecmo.php