ARDS and ECMO, an update on critical care nursing

The acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a very serious pathology caused by inflammation of the lung, usually infectious or traumatic. The alveoli are filled with inflammatory fluid, impairing gas ex-change. Mechanical ventilation is the inevitable treat-ment, but it must ensure specific levels of alveolar pressure, tidal volume, and positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) not to exacerbate inflammation and ARDS. This is called protective ventilation but it does not always guarantee satisfactory blood gases, only the extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can provide. Management of ARDS patient under ECMO is complex because it combines the care rela-ted to intensive care patient, very restrictive mecha-nical ventilation and ECMO. Intensive care nurse re-quires a very good knowledge of lung disease and re-spiratory assistance constraints, whether ventilatory or extra-corporeal