ECMO Equipment & Technology Flashcards
6 cards from real CES practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 ECMO Equipment & Technology flashcards as text
Which centrifugal pump design is most commonly used in modern ECMO systems?
Answer: Magnetically levitated impeller centrifugal pump
Magnetically levitated centrifugal pumps (e.g., Maquet Rotaflow, LivaNova CP5) dominate modern ECMO due to reduced hemolysis and bearing wear compared to older designs.
What does the term 'sweep gas' refer to in an ECMO oxygenator?
Answer: The gas (oxygen/air blend) flowing through the oxygenator membrane to facilitate gas exchange
Sweep gas is the gas flow (typically an O2/CO2 blend) through the hollow-fiber membrane oxygenator that drives CO2 removal and sets membrane-side gas composition.
In a hollow-fiber membrane oxygenator, which direction does CO2 most rapidly transfer?
Answer: From blood into the sweep gas (blood to gas)
CO2 moves from the blood (high partial pressure) across the hollow-fiber membrane into the sweep gas (low partial pressure) due to its high membrane diffusibility.
The Avalon Elite bicaval dual-lumen cannula is designed for insertion via which access site?
Answer: Right internal jugular vein
The Avalon Elite is designed for right internal jugular vein insertion, with drainage from both the SVC and IVC and return directed toward the tricuspid valve.
Which ECMO circuit component is responsible for maintaining circuit temperature?
Answer: A heat exchanger (water bath heater-cooler unit) incorporated into or alongside the oxygenator
A heater-cooler unit circulates temperature-controlled water through a heat exchanger adjacent to the oxygenator to regulate patient blood temperature.
What is the primary purpose of a 'bridge connector' in an ECMO circuit?
Answer: To allow the circuit to be clamped and recirculated when the patient is briefly disconnected or during circuit changes
A bridge connector allows the circuit to recirculate when the patient limbs are clamped, maintaining circuit patency and preventing stasis/clotting during brief interventions.