The present disclosure relates to a system (1) for carbon dioxide [CO2] removal from the circulatory system of a patient (3), comprising a medical device (5) for providing extracorporeal lung assist [ECLA] treatment to the patient (3) through extracorporeal removal of CO2 from the patient's blood, at least one control unit (22A-22C) for controlling the operation of the medical device (5) so as to control a degree of CO2 removal obtained by the ECLA treatment, and a bioelectric sensor (7) for detecting a bioelectric signal indicative of the patient's efforts to breathe. The at least one control unit (22A-22C) is configured to control the operation of the medical device (5) based on the detected bioelectric signal.