Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for ARDS in Adults

A 41-year-old woman presents with severe community-acquired pneumococcal pneumonia. Chest radiography reveals diffuse bilateral infiltrates, and hypoxemic respiratory failure develops despite appropriate antibiotic therapy. She is intubated and mechanical ventilation is initiated with a volume- and pressure-limited approach for the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Over the ensuing 24 hours, her partial pressure of arterial oxygen (PaO(2)) decreases to 40 mm Hg, despite ventilatory support with a fraction of inspired oxygen (FIO(2)) of 1.0 and a positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) of 20 cm of water. She is placed in the prone position and a neuromuscular blocking agent is administered, without improvement in her PaO(2). An intensive care specialist recommends the initiation of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).