[ECMO treatment in acute lung failure : Who profits?]

In intensive care medicine, rapid technical developments that are often beneficial to patients are taking place. On the other hand, there are also voices that generally criticize an increasing "interventionalism". This area of tension includes other important questions regarding usefulness, quality, ethical compliance, scientific evidence, structural capacities and economy. The treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is an example of these considerations. Although ECMO has rarely been prospectively evaluated according to scientific criteria, it is still used with an increasing tendency, not least since the documented register survival rates in ECMO patients with severe ARDS are 60%. However, the implementation of this therapy means an immense effort. The necessary centralization and certification for ECMO treatment is currently under intensive discussion. Closely related to this are considerations about which criteria represent good quality in patient care. In order to be able to guarantee high quality, a precise indication is the first step. And here indications and contraindications still need to be defined. It has not yet been sufficiently clarified which prognosis factors need to be taken into account. This article summarizes what is known about ECMO prognosis and indication criteria. In conclusion, parameters are identified that should be developed scientifically in the future.