A Computational Study of Perfusion During the ExtraCorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)

The extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a common procedure of extracorporeal circulation (ECC) used in case of cardiopulmonary diseases. The major clinical complications are related to hemodynamic changes and to the mechanical shear stress. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of the modality of perfusion during ECMO, comparing the hemodynamic behavior generated by constant flow (normal modality) with the one obtained by pulsed perfusion induced by the intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP). To carry out the study, the computational fluid dynamic (CFD) approach was chosen, realizing a multi-scale model. The numerical results have highlighted that the IABP-induced pulsed perfusion increases both flow and pressure in the supraaortic vessels, even if the balloon makes the wall shear stress (WSS) pattern and the hemolysis index worse.