removed. The blood is returned to the patient either via venous or arterial route.
There are several “parts” to ECLS: the circuit through which the blood flows, the
oxygenator where gas exchange occurs, the pump which controls the blood flow
within the circuit, a heat exchanger which maintains normothermia of the blood,
and several monitors placed throughout the device and on the patient (see
Figure 1). Occasionally, a dialysis filter may also be incorporated into the circuit
to address renal injury or failure. Finally, a bridge between the drainage and
infusion tubing exists in most ECLS circuits to allow temporary dissociation of the
patient from the extracorporeal circuit during emergencies and during trial
periods off of ECLS.
Figure 1. Simplified schematic of a patient on an ECLS circuit with its various parts
followed by a picture of the various parts of the complete traveling circuit. A closeup of
the monitoring devices is also provided.