Once relegated to the fringes of medicine, the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in adults with severe respiratory or cardiac failure is now increasing at an extraordinary pace.¹ ECMO is perceived by many as life-saving, and this growth is continuing despite a paucity of widely accepted evidence demonstrating benefit.² Without such evidence, our obligation to carefully assess the place of this technology in patient care is heightened.³ In this rapidly evolving area, how do we decide when to offer such high-risk, resource-intensive interventions, and when to withhold or withdraw them?

中文翻译：

---

ECMO时代的治疗局限性

体外膜肺氧合 (ECMO) 一度被置于医学边缘，但现在它在患有严重呼吸或心力衰竭的成人中的使用正在以惊人的速度增加。¹ ECMO 被许多人认为可以挽救生命，尽管缺乏广泛接受的证据证明其益处，但这种增长仍在持续。²如果没有此类证据，我们就有义务仔细评估该技术在患者护理中的地位。³在这个快速发展的领域，我们如何决定何时提供此类高风险、资源密集型干预措施，以及何时停止或撤回？