A 21-year-old patient has been treated in emergency with venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation after severe thoracic trauma causing severe air leak and haemothorax. The extracorporeal assistance was managed without heparin for 10 days till the full recovery of the lung, and no side-effect was recorded.
BeinTZoniesDPhilippA, et al. Transportable extracorporeal lung support for rescue of severe respiratory failure in combat casualties. J Trauma Acute Care Surg2012; 73(6): 1450–1456.
4.
BedeirKSeethalaRKellyE.Extracorporeal life support in trauma: worth the risks? A systematic review of published series. J Trauma Acute Care Surg2017; 82(2): 400–406.
5.
WenPHChanWHChenYC, et al. Non-heparinized ECMO serves a rescue method in a multitrauma patient combining pulmonary contusion and nonoperative internal bleeding: a case report and literature review. World J Emerg Surg2015; 10: 15.
6.
MuellenbachRMKredelMKunzeE, et al. Prolonged heparin-free extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in multiple injured acute respiratory distress syndrome patients with traumatic brain injury. J Trauma Acute Care Surg2012; 72(5): 1444–1447.
7.
JacobsJVHooftNMRobinsonBR, et al. The use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in blunt thoracic trauma: a study of the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization database. J Trauma Acute Care Surg2015; 79(6): 1049–1053; discussion 1053–1054.
