Extracorporeal life support in thoracic surgery.

An editorial on the usage of extracorporeal life support (ELS) methods following a thoracic surgery, lung transplantation, and cardiorespiratory failure is presented. The authors talks about how ELS can provide short to mid-term extracorporeal mechanical support by helping in carbon dioxide (CO2) clearance, aiding oxygen (O2) enrichment and providing cardiocirculatory support. The authors also discuss the usage of Novalung lung assist device and Pumpless interventional lung assist device.