Standardized nomenclature for peripheral percutaneous cannulation of the pulmonary artery in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: Current uptake and recommendations for improvement

Abstract

The rising application of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has emphasized the need for consistent and standardized terminology, especially concerning peripheral percutaneous cannulation of the pulmonary artery (PPC-PA). The Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) Nomenclature Task Force produced the ELSO Maastricht Treaty for extracorporeal life support (ECLS) Nomenclature to address this challenge. However, adherence to nomenclature recommendations has been poor in publications describing PPC-PA. We aim to describe common nomenclature errors and provide a user-guide for abbreviations that can be used by authors, reviewers, and journal staff to ensure properadherence to standardized nomenclature in publications describing PPC-PA.

Venopulmonary Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation and the Importance of Nomenclature Adherence for an Emerging Mode

“…To the Editor: W e read with interest the Concise Definitive Review by Hockstein and Fan (1), which summarizes the roles of venopulmonary extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in supporting patients with cardiopulmonary failure. This review is informative and timely as peripheral placement of cannulas in the pulmonary artery is gaining attraction (2,3). The authors detail that, unlike conventional VV-ECMO, this ECMO mode uniquely provides both respiratory and right heart support particularly in cases of right ventricle failure.…”

“…Unfortunately, the adoption of standardized nomenclature described in the ELSO Maastricht Treaty has been slow, and nonstandardized abbreviations continue to be prevalent in ECLS publications (3). For the relatively new VP-ECMO mode, adherence to the nomenclature is of utmost importance for its future description in the literature.…”