[ECMO treatment for ARDS].

Between February 1988 and March 1990, ECMO was performed (veno-arterial perfusion; 3 cases, venovenous; one case) is 4 ARDS patients. However no patient could be weaned from ECMO (32-80 hours) and all died. The causes of deaths were attributed to the complications of ARDS itself that existed before ECMO therapy and ECMO was highly effective in providing temporally life support. We consider that entry criteria of ECMO should not be based on gas exchange alone and that lung compliance and circulatory insufficiency should be taken into account.