Figure 5
From: Blood flow but not cannula positioning influences the efficacy of Veno-Venous ECMO therapy
Volumetric representation of the oxygen content. Oxygen content (\(C_aO_2\)) in the right atrium for the 3 L/min (left) and \(5\,\hbox {L}/\hbox {min}\) (right) cases after 25 s of simulation. This plot shows how an ECMO flow of 3 L/min, despite minimising recirculation, does not carry enough oxygen to adequately oxygenate the blood in the right atrium. With an ECMO flow of \(5\,\hbox {L}/\hbox {min}\), on the other hand, a larger amount of oxygen accumulates in the right atrium, despite the increased recirculation stemming from a higher flow. Additional file 3 contains a video that clearly shows this phenomenon.
