Small pore size microporous membrane oxygenator reduces plasma leakage during prolonged extracorporeal circulation: a case report

Plasma leakage has been regarded as the main technical problem during prolonged extracorporeal circulation (ECC) with microporous membrane oxygenators (MMOs). We report the case of a 15 year old male who underwent long term ECC for ARDS and in whom, by using new MMOs with reduced pore size, we were able to achieve prolonged artificial gas exchange efficiency with minimal plasma leakage. We conclude that reduced pore size MMOs might represent a valuable technical advance in extracorporeal oxygenation therapy.