Peripheral femoral venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as
bridge to heart-lung transplant
Abstract
Heart-Lung transplant (HLT) is a widely accepted modality for certain
patients with advanced and refractory cardiopulmonary disease. Some of
these patients are critically ill on the transplant waiting list, and
venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) can be used
as a bridge to transplantation. Although the experience with ECMO as a
bridge to lung transplant is promising, there is limited evidence to use
ECMO as a bridge to HLT. Femoral cannulation remains a concern for
ambulation given the risk of bleeding and cannula complications despite
studies reporting its safety. We present a case of a 56-year-old male
with interstitial lung disease (ILD) and severe secondary pulmonary
hypertension, who was successfully bridged to HLT with ambulatory
femoral VA-ECMO.