Methods of administering nitric oxide to arterial or arterialized blood

1. A method of treating, preventing or inhibiting ischemia or hypoxia in a patient comprising

a) oxygenating withdrawn blood of the patient through a gas exchange membrane at a first reaction area of a gas transfer unit within an oxygenation compartment of an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation system (ECMO) to produce arterialized blood;

b) after oxygenation, delivering a therapeutically effective amount of nitric oxide-containing gas directly into the arterialized blood of the patient through the gas exchange membrane at a second reaction area of the gas transfer unit downstream of the first reaction area; and

c) infusing the blood produced in step b) into the patient via an arterial cannula,

wherein any remaining oxygen and nitric oxide (NO) is removed from the gas transfer unit through an outlet in the gas transfer unit downstream of the second reaction area.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein delivery of the nitric-oxide containing gas into the arterialized blood is bolus delivery of the nitric oxide-containing gas.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein a delivery concentration of nitric oxide-containing gas is in the range of 0.1-500 ppm.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein delivery of the nitric oxide containing gas into the arterialized blood is by continuous administration into the arterialized blood.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the blood produced in step (b) is infused into the patient before onset of the ischemia or hypoxia.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the blood produced in step (b) is infused into the patient after onset of the ischemia or hypoxia.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

introducing the oxygen into the gas transfer unit from an oxygen source in fluid communication with the gas transfer unit through a first inlet in the gas transfer unit; and

introducing the NO into the gas transfer unit from a NO delivery device in fluid communication with the gas transfer unit through a second inlet in the gas transfer unit downstream of the first inlet.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising generating and/or storing NO in a NO generator/reservoir connected to the NO delivery device.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising venting the remaining oxygen and NO with a venting device in fluid communication with the gas transfer unit through an outlet of the gas transfer unit.

10. An extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) system comprising:

an oxygenation compartment comprising:

a chamber, wherein blood enters the oxygenation compartment though the chamber; and

a gas transfer unit having a first reaction area, a second reaction area downstream of the first reaction area, and an outlet downstream of the second reaction area, and

wherein the gas transfer unit is separated from the chamber by a gas exchange membrane which exchanges oxygen for carbon dioxide in the blood to produce arterialized blood in the first reaction area of the gas transfer unit, and exchanges nitric oxide (NO) for oxygen in the arterialized blood in the second reaction area of the gas transfer unit, and

a venting device in fluid communication with the gas transfer unit through the outlet of the gas transfer unit operable to receive any remaining oxygen and NO.

11. The ECMO system of claim 10 further comprising:

an oxygen source in fluid communication with the gas transfer unit through a first inlet in the gas transfer unit; and

a NO delivery device in fluid communication with the gas transfer unit through a second inlet in the gas transfer unit downstream of the first inlet.

12. The ECMO system of claim 11 further comprising a NO generator/reservoir connected to the NO delivery device for generating and/or holding the NO.