Dialysis Machine for Lungs?

Question

Why can't we use or modify a dialysis machine to filter co2 and add o2 to the blood stream as away to offset the need for a ventilator... the lungs in covid-19 are clearly failing... it seems like a ventilator is only going to helps so much if the lungs are failing already...Has there been any research into this or anyone thinking this way?

joezydeco · Accepted Answer

This machine exists. It's known as an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine.
https://www.thoracic.org/patients/patient-resources/resource...
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2761778
Some extreme COVID patents have been put on ECMOs to try and save their lives. It's a last resort, however. The machines are intricate and hospitals have very few of them, if at all. There's also concern that ECMOs filter or damage immune system cells, making the recovery even harder.