Clinical Case Scenario:
A 57-year-old male was admitted with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure due to Influenza A pneumonia with ARDS. After an initial trial of prone ventilation failed, he was placed on veno-venous (V-V) ECMO. Initially, at low ECMO flows of 2 L/min, his pulse oximeter/peripheral oxygen saturation improved. However, as the flow was gradually increased to 4 L/min, his oxygen saturation levels worsened. A review of his chest X-ray (Figure 1) was conducted.
Figure 1: Chest Xray of the patient after cannulation
*Figure adapted from www.intensiveblog.com
Which of the following statements is true regarding the patient's current condition?
