ECMO vs ECCO2R: growing interest in these forms of therapies is seen in the rising number of research articles per year, shown in the graph above.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has become increasingly important in recent years. As a last-resort therapy for severe covid cases, its adoption has further grown in 2020. This is mirrored in the number of publications on ECMO (see graph above).
The analysis of publications also provides insights into extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal (ECCO2R) therapy. ECCO2R is an emerging therapy for the treatment of acute respiratory failure. The increasing number of publications shows that interest in this therapy is growing.
The main potential for ECCO2R is seen in preventing further lung injury in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and reducing the need for mechanical ventilation (MV) in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
Nevertheless, there is limited evidence today to support the routine use of ECCO2R outside of clinical trials. The difference between ECMO vs ECCO2R appears to be shrinking, as ECCO2R shows limited evidence of becoming more common in the future. While ECMO has crossed the chasm, will ECCO2R do so in the coming years?
