Extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal (ECCO2R) is a specialised medical procedure employed to eliminate excessive carbon dioxide (CO2) from the bloodstream. To date, there have been only a few small-scale studies published on ECCO2R, with limited data on the full spectrum of clinical presentations, management strategies, and outcomes. Previous clinical trials have investigated the potential for ECCO2R therapy to reduce the intensity of mechanical ventilation in patients suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). While these trials have successfully achieved desired physiological outcomes, they have not consistently translated into improved patient mortality rates. Additionally, the use of ECCO2R has presented certain complications, especially when higher-flow ECCO2R systems based on the centrifugal pump technology were used, which had been more extensively studied in the past. However, our clinical experience appeared to suggest that low-flow ECCO2R therapy could be managed with reasonable treatment success rate and limited complications. The investigators hypothesise that the use of low-flow ECCO2R therapy is clinically effective and safe for a selected group of ICU patients with acute respiratory failure.
