Recent advances in extracorporeal life support as a bridge to lung transplantation

Introduction: Invasive mechanical respiratory support in candidate bridging to transplant (BTT) has become common practice in recent years. This usually consists of mechanical ventilation, extracorporeal life support (ECLS) or a combination of both techniques. Areas covered: This review covers epidemiology, technical considerations, indications and outcome of ELCS as BTT. Published literature was identified by searching the MEDLINE bibliographic database (1946-present) and appropriate papers were reviewed. In a retrospective analysis of the period 2010-2016 (n=92 cases of ECLS bridging, 62% ECLS only) at our institution, bridging success was 73%, with 1-year survival among patients surviving to transplant 78%, surpassing our previously published results between 2005-2009 (bridging success 58%, 1-year survival 58%, p=0.002 and p=0.02, respectively). Expert commentary: While ECLS success has influenced lung transplant selection criteria, bridging remains technically and ethically challenging. Candidate selection and organ allocation are crucial to achieving acceptable results.