Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation as a Bridge to Lung Transplant: Considerations for Critical Care Nursing Practice

Candidates waiting for lung transplant are sicker now than ever before. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation has become useful as a bridge to lung transplant for these critically ill patients.

Critical care nurses must be prepared to care for the increasing number of lung transplant patients who require this advanced support method.

To provide critical care nurses with the foundational knowledge essential for delivering quality care to this high-acuity transplant patient population.

This review describes the types of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (venovenous and venoarterial), provides an overview of the indications and contraindications for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and discusses the role of clinical bedside nurses in the treatment of patients requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as a bridge to lung transplant.