ECMO and H1N1 - more fodder for debate

There is perhaps no better way to revive the dormant blog than to highlight an article published in JAMA yesterday about the role and effect of ECMO in the H1N1 epidemic in England: http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/early/2011/09/28/jama.2011.1471.full . Other than to recognize its limitations which are similar if not identical to those of the CESAR trial, there is little to say about this study beyond that it further bolsters the arguments of my last post about ECMO and the ongoing debate about it.

In light of the recent failures of albuterol and omega-3 fatty acids in ARDS treatment, I echo the editorialist in calling for funding for a randomized controlled trial of ECMO in severe ARDS (see: http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/early/2011/09/28/jama.2011.1504.full ).