A simple approach for gas blender on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in resource shortage context.

With the massive influx of patients during COVID-19 pandemic into ICU, resources have quickly been stretched to the limit, including ExtraCorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO). Gas blender attached to ECMO is used to allow precise adjustment of characteristics of fresh gas flow, i.e. blood oxygen delivery and carbon dioxide removal. In order to cope with the gas blender shortage, we describe a back-up system set up in our French tertiary referral ECMO center using air and oxygen flowmeters. A Table has been created to facilitate medical prescription but also nurse monitoring. This extraordinary situation forces physicians to adapt medical devices and that could be useful in future viral pandemics.