Extracorporeal membrane oxigenation (ecmo): Main complications

The Extracorporeal Membrane Oxigenation (ECMO) is considered a complex circulatory assistance therapy, requiring a multidisciplinary work for its use. Although there has been a significant increase in the rates of use of this hemodynamic support in recent years, with greater safety, complications can still be observed. In this context, the present study aims to identify the main complications during ECMO. It is configured in an integrative review of literature consisting of national and international scientific articles on the subject indexed in the period from 2010 to 2016. Eleven scientific articles were selected, demonstrating that 40.3% of the population studied had renal complications; 36.8% hematologic complications; 16,2% vascular complications; 14.1% infection; 8.8% neurological dysfunction and 20.1% mechanical complications with the ECMO circuit. The development of conduits that stimulate a safety culture is a requirement in hospital institutions. In this perspective, the use of preventive measures of a multidisciplinary nature may contribute to the consolidation of patient safety during mechanical circulatory support with ECMO.