Low Flow Extracorporeal Oxygenation Approach is the Future of Acute Respiratory Care

Low Flow Extracorporeal Oxygenation

Author: Dr. Avraham Abutbul, Specialist in Internal Medicine, General Intensive Care Medicine and Pulmonary Medicine*

Mechanical ventilation has many disadvantages for both patients and clinicians. During COVID-19 pandemic, the limits of this veteran technology were highlighted. As a result, the COVID has become a growth engine for bringing innovative respiratory technologies to the market.

Mechanical ventilation can cause severe damage. Therefore, connecting a patient to this type of treatment is an extremely difficult decision for us, as clinicians.

Understanding how our respiratory system works is key to understand the advantages and disadvantages of mechanical ventilation and the need for new technologies. Normally, the human respiratory system operates under negative pressure. In other words, the pressure within the pleural cavity is slightly lower than the atmospheric pressure, which means the respiratory system is normally a negative pressure ventilation system. By mechanically ventilating a patient, we can maintain tidal volume and decrease blood shunting through the lungs in order to improve gas exchange.