Q: Once patient is put on Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) - select one

A) Ventilator support should be minimized
B) Ventilator support should be maximized
C) Ventilator support should be managed as per previous
D) Tidal volume should be maximized
E) Plateau pressure less than 35 cm H2O 



Answer:  A

Once patient is put on ECMO, goal should be "ultra-protective ventilation strategy" with

• Tidal volume less than 4 ml/kg of Predicted  Body Weight,
• Plateau pressure  less than 25 cm H2O
• Application of tolerable and optimum PEEP

Reference: 

Matthieu Schmidt, Vincent Pellegrino, Alain Combes, Carlos Scheinkestel, D Jamie Cooper and Carol Hodgson - Mechanical ventilation during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation - Critical Care 2014 18:203 - Published: 21 January 2014