Hemodynamic Comparison of Peripheral and Central VA ECMO.

Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO) is mainly used for circulatory support in patients with severe cardiopulmonary failure. VA ECMO drains the blood from the venous system followed pumping the blood back into the arterial vascular compartment after oxygenation. It can be divided into two cannulation strategies for VA ECMO support, namely peripheral VA ECMO and central VA ECMO based on the arterial cannulation site. Peripheral VA ECMO is established via the femoral artery (FA), whereas axillary artery (AX) is an arterial cannulation site in central VA-ECMO.