Using an idealized geometry of the aorta and its major branches and a peripherally inserted return cannula terminating in the iliac artery, computational fluid dynamic simulations were performed to (1) quantify perfusion as function of relative ECMO flow and (2) describe the watershed region produced by the collision of antegrade flow from the heart and retrograde ECMO flow.
Evolution of extracorporeal life support (ECLS) technology has added a new dimension to the intensive care management of acute cardiac and/or respiratory failure in adult patients who fail conventional treatment.