In veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V-V ECMO), the dual-lumen catheter (DLC) facilitates mobility, reduces recirculation, and mitigates the risk of infection. The right internal jugular vein (IJV) is the most common site for DLC insertion. Still, it is often unavailable for various reasons, including local infection, hematoma, or thrombus. A 64-year-old male patient with mantle lymphoma, which was in remission after autogenous blood transplantation, suffered lung damage and refractory pneumothorax from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and required V-V ECMO treatment initiated on day 39. The patient was unable to be weaned off V-V ECMO due to uncontrolled high serum carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration and required long-term V-V ECMO treatment for more than 80 days. DLC placement was necessary to implement aggressive rehabilitation, reduce puncture site-induced infections, and reduce recirculation. On day 119, a supraclavicular approach was used for DLC placement under fluoroscopic guidance using ultrasound guidance because a thrombus in the right IJV prevented the DLC insertion at a usual puncture site. Rehabilitation was safely performed at a higher intensity than preoperatively of DLC insertion. Overall, the DLC catheter was maintained for more than 30 days until the patient died due to septic shock by an unknown focus on day 150, with no complications such as bleeding or infection. This case report highlights the significance of using the supraclavicular approach for DLC placement in V-V ECMO in cases where IJV is not possible due to thrombus presence. In conclusion, the supraclavicular approach is safe and feasible for V-V ECMO insertion as an alternative to the IJV.

Massive hemoptysis is one of the fatal complications of lung cancer. There is no established standard treatment method for it, and it often causes sudden suffocation, and some cases may be difficult to save. A 63-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with dyspnea, and developed massive hemoptysis from lung cancer shortly after admission. The tumor had obstructed the right main bronchus and had invaded the right pulmonary artery. Surgery and interventional radiology were judged impossible. The patient was successfully saved by the introduction of Veno-Venous Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (V-V ECMO), and hemostasis was obtained by radiotherapy. Two months after completion of radiotherapy, he was weaned off the ventilator and discharged on his own. He died of increased peritoneal dissemination and other complications 1 year and 1 month later, but no recurrence of hemoptysis was noted until his death. We experienced a case of massive hemoptysis in which V-V ECMO and radiation therapy succeeded in saving life and stopping bleeding. The use of V-V ECMO by emergency care teams and multimodality therapy, including radiotherapy, were effective for massive hemoptysis from lung cancer.

The course of COVID-19 with an incidence of 15-42% can be complicated by the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The mortality rate with severe forms exceeds 60%, which sometimes requires extracorporeal methods of life support.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyse the therapeutic efficacy of V-V ECMO in patients with ARDS caused by SARS-CoV-2.
METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed in patients with acute lung injury caused by COVID-19 and treated with V-V ECMO within a period from February 2020 to May 2021 at the ECMO Center of the Heart Institute Ministry of Health of Ukraine. All patients had PCR testing for viral RNA particles using RT-PCR ELITe analyser.
RESULTS: During this period, 7 cases reported of V-V ECMO for ARDS caused by COVID-19. Five of seven patients were urgently transferred to our ECMO Center from other medical institutions, while 2 patients were transferred to the hospital being already connected to ECMO, and one patient was connected to ECMO immediately after hospitalization. The most common ECMO complication was circuit thrombosis - 42.9% (3/7), which required oxygenator replacement - in 2 cases and circuit replacement - in 1 case. Three patients had bleeding at the cannulation site. ECMO mortality rate was 57.1% (4/ 7), while the 30-day mortality rate - 71.4% (5/7).
CONCLUSIONS: In our case series, out of seven critically ill COVID-19 patients who required ECMO to maintain adequate oxygenation, inpatient mortality was observed in 71.4%.