Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for 2009 Influenza A(H1N1) Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

The article discusses a study which described the characteristics of all patients with 2009 influenza A(H1N1)-associated acute respiratory syndrome (ARDS) treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in Australia and New Zealand between June 1 and August 31, 2009. Main outcome measures used in the study include incidence, clinical features, degree of pulmonary dysfunction, technical characteristics, duration of ECMO, complications and survival. It was revealed that 61 of the 68 patients with severe influenza-associated ARDS treated with ECMO had either confirmed 2009 influenza A(H1N1) or influenza A not subtyped.