Use of single-cannula venous-venous extracorporeal life support in the management of life-threatening airway obstruction.

The use of venous-venous extracorporeal life support (VV ECLS) for the endoscopic management of airway obstruction has been rarely reported. In most instances, ECLS has been used in the setting of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in which venoarterial ECLS was initiated as part of resuscitation. We report a patient with a bulky primary tumor of the tracheal carina presenting with airway obstruction who was managed with intraoperative single-cannula VV ECLS to facilitate endoscopic interventions leading to more definitive airway security.