Optimizing renal replacement therapy for patients who need extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: cross-talk between two organ support machines

Following a substantial increase in the utilization of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) during the last decade, its associated benefits and complications, including acute kidney injury have become more apparent. Acute kidney injury requiring dialysis during the ECMO treatment is very common and is associated with adverse outcomes. Cross talk between ECMO and dialysis equipment has been debated in the literature in order to enhance the quality of dialysis and avoid its potential adverse events. Na et al. recently published the results of a prospective experiment by using three different methods for integration of the continuous renal replacement therapy device into the ECMO circuit. In this experiment, the investigators showed that by using three different connection strategies between continuous renal replacement therapy device and ECMO and the utilization of three separate structures of pressure control lines, the dialyzer lifespan could be optimized. In this commentary, following a brief review of the ECMO and dialysis devices history and cross talk, we discuss the findings by Na et al. and provide additional insights for future investigations.