In the BIOLINE group, a lower amount of packed red blood cells (pRBC) was transfused considering both total number and mL of pRBC/day of ECMO support (91, IQR 21–158 vs. Results: The two study groups were comparable in terms of baseline characteristics and ECMO management. Eighty-nine consecutive patients affected with ARF on VV-ECMO from 2008 to 2016 were compared according to type of cannulation: older percutaneous cannula (Standard group, 52 patients) and HLS © BIOLINE-coated, but with shorter drainage cannula (BIOLINE group, 37 patients). We investigated the effect of different cannula designs on the amount of blood product transfused. Methods: This is a retrospective observational study carried out in the ECMO center at IRCCS-ISMETT, a medical center focused on end-stage organ failure treatment in Italy. Gennaro Martucci 1, Giovanna Panarello 1, Giovanna Occhipinti 1, Giuseppe Raffa 2, Fabio Tuzzolino 3, Guido Capitanio 1, Tiziana Carollo 1, Giovanni Lino 1, Alessandro Bertani 4, Patrizio Vitulo 5, Michele Pilato 2, Roberto Lorusso 6, Antonio Arcadipane 1ġDepartment of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, 2Cardiac Surgery and Heart Transplantation Unit, Department for the Treatment and Study of Cardiothoracic Diseases and Cardiothoracic Transplantation, 3Statistician, Research Office, 4Thoracic Surgery and Lung Transplantation Unit, Department for the Treatment and Study of Cardiothoracic Diseases and Cardiothoracic Transplantation, 5Pneumology Unit, Department for the Treatment and Study of Cardiothoracic Diseases and Cardiothoracic Transplantation, IRCCS - ISMETT (Istituto Mediterraneo per i Trapianti e Terapie ad alta specializzazione), Palermo, Italy 6Cardio-Thoracic Surgery Department, Heart and Vascular Centre, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The NetherlandsĬontributions: (I) Conception and design: G Martucci, R Lorusso, A Arcadipane (II) Administrative support: G Raffa (III) Provision of study materials or patients: G Martucci, G Panarello, G Occhipinti, G Capitanio, T Carollo, G Lino (IV) Collection and assembly of data: G Martucci, G Occhipinti (V) Data analysis and interpretation: G Martucci, F Tuzzolino, A Arcadipane, G Raffa, R Lorusso (VI) Manuscript writing: All authors (VII) Final approval of manuscript: All authors.īackground: Technological improvement has contributed to making veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) safer and easier, spreading its use in acute respiratory failure (ARF).