Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been used increasingly for both respiratory and cardiac failure in adult patients. Indications for ECMO use in cardiac failure include severe refractory cardiogenic shock, refractory ventricular arrhythmia, active cardiopulmonary resuscitation for cardiac arrest, and acute or decompensated right heart failure. Evidence is emerging to guide the use of this therapy for some of these indications, but there remains a need for additional evidence to guide best practices. As a result, the use of ECMO may vary widely across centers. The purpose of this document is to highlight key aspects of care delivery, with the goal of codifying the current use of this rapidly growing technology. A major challenge in this field is the need to emergently deploy ECMO for cardiac failure, often with limited time to assess the appropriateness of patients for the intervention. For this reason, we advocate for a multidisciplinary team of experts to guide institutional use of this therapy and the care of patients receiving it. Rigorous patient selection and careful attention to potential complications are key factors in optimizing patient outcomes. Seamless patient transport and clearly defined pathways for transition of care to centers capable of providing heart replacement therapies (e.g., durable ventricular assist device or heart transplantation) are essential to providing the highest level of care for those patients stabilized by ECMO but unable to be weaned from the device. Ultimately, concentration of the most complex care at high-volume centers with advanced cardiac capabilities may be a way to significantly improve the care of this patient population.

Purpose Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) use for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients has increased during the course of the pandemic. As uncertainty existed regarding patient’s outcomes, early guidelines recommended against establishing new ECMO centers. We aimed to explore the epidemiology and outcomes of ECMO for COVID-19 related cardiopulmonary failure in five countries in the Middle East and India and to evaluate the results of ECMO in 5 new centers. Methods This is a retrospective, multicenter international, observational study conducted in 19 ECMO centers in five countries in the Middle East and India from March 1, 2020, to September 30, 2020. We included patients with COVID-19 who received ECMO for refractory hypoxemia and severe respiratory acidosis with or without circulatory failure. Data collection included demographic data, ECMO-related specific data, pre-ECMO patient condition, 24 h post-ECMO initiation data, and outcome. The primary outcome was survival to home discharge. Secondary outcomes included mortality during ECMO, survival to decannulation, and outcomes stratified by center type. Results Three hundred and seven COVID-19 patients received ECMO support during the study period, of whom 78 (25%) were treated in the new ECMO centers. The median age was 45 years (interquartile range IQR 37–52), and 81% were men. New center patients were younger, were less frequently male, had received higher PEEP, more frequently inotropes and prone positioning before ECMO and were less frequently retrieved from a peripheral center on ECMO. Survival to home discharge was 45%. In patients treated in new and established centers, survival was 55 and 41% ( p = 0.03), respectively. Multivariable analysis retained only a SOFA score < 12 at ECMO initiation as associated with survival (odds ratio, OR 1.93 (95% CI 1.05–3.58), p = 0.034), but not treatment in a new center (OR 1.65 (95% CI 0.75–3.67)). Conclusions During pandemics, ECMO may provide favorable outcomes in highly selected patients as resources allow. Newly formed ECMO centers with appropriate supervision of regional experts may have satisfactory results. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00134-021-06451-w.

Objectives: The purpose of this position paper is two-fold: first, to describe the state of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation education worldwide, noting current limitations and challenges; and second, to put forth an educational agenda regarding opportunities for an international collaborative approach toward standardization. Design: Relevant medical literature was reviewed through literature search, and materials from national organizations were accessed through the Internet. Taskforce members generated a consensus statement using an iterative consensus process through teleconferences and electronic communication. Setting: In 2018, the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization convened the ECMOed Taskforce at two structured, face-to-face meetings of 40 healthcare practitioners and educators with expertise in caring for the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation patient and in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation education. Patients: None. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: The ECMOed Taskforce identified seven educational domains that would benefit from international collaborative efforts. Of primary importance, the Taskforce outlined actionable items regarding 1) the creation of a standardized extracorporeal membrane oxygenation curriculum; 2) defining criteria for an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation course as a vehicle for delivering the curriculum; 3) outlining a mechanism for evaluating the quality of educational offerings; 4) utilizing validated assessment tools in the development of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation practitioner certification; and 5) promoting high-quality educational research to guide ongoing educational and competency assessment development. Conclusions: Significant variability and limitations in global extracorporeal membrane oxygenation education exist. In this position paper, we outline a road map for standardizing international extracorporeal membrane oxygenation education and practitioner certification. Ongoing high-quality educational research is needed to evaluate the impact of these initiatives.

Introduction/Aim: The patient’s condition and high-risk nature of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy force clinical services to ensure clinicians are properly trained and always ready to deal effectively with critical situations. Simulation-based education (SBE), from the simplest approaches to the most immersive modalities, helps promote optimum individual and team performance. The risks of SBE are negative learning, inauthenticity in learning and over-reliance on the participants’ suspension of disbelief. This is especially relevant to ECMO SBE as circuit/patient interactions are difficult to fully simulate without confusing circuit alterations. Methods: Our efforts concentrate on making ECMO simulation easier and more realistic in order to reduce the current gap there is between SBE and real ECMO patient care. Issues to be overcome include controlling the circuit pressures, system failures, patient issues, blood colour and cost factors. Key to our developments are the hospital-university collaboration and research funding. Results: A prototype ECMO simulator has been developed that allows for realistic ECMO SBE. The system emulates the ECMO machine interface with remotely controllable pressure parameters, haemorrhaging, line chattering, air bubble noise and simulated blood colour change. Conclusion: The prototype simulator allows the simulation of common ECMO emergencies through innovative solutions that enhance the fidelity of ECMO SBE and reduce the requirement for suspension of disbelief from participants. Future developments will encompass the patient cannulation aspect.

BackgroundPulmonary infections caused by Pneumocystis jirovecii in immunocompromised host can be associated with cysts, pneumatoceles and air leaks that can progress to pneumomediastinum and pneumothoraxes. In such cases, it can be challenging to maintain adequate gas exchange by conventional mechanical ventilation and at the same time prevent further ventilator-induced lung injury. We report a young HIV positive male with poorly compliant lungs and pneumomediastinum secondary to severe Pneumocystis infection, rescued with veno-venous extra corporeal membrane oxygenation (V-V ECMO).Case presentationA 26 year old male with no significant past medical history was admitted with fever, cough and shortness of breath. He initially required non-invasive ventilation for respiratory failure. However, his respiratory function progressively deteriorated due to increasing pulmonary infiltrates and development of pneumomediastinum, eventually requiring endotracheal intubation and invasive ventilation. Despite attempts at optimizing gas exchange by ventilatory maneuvers, patients’ pulmonary parameters worsened necessitating rescue ECMO therapy. The introduction of V-V ECMO facilitated the use of ultra-protective lung ventilation and prevented progression of pneumomediastinum, maintaining optimal gas exchange. It allowed time for the antibiotics to show effect and pulmonary parenchyma to heal. Further diagnostic workup revealed Pneumocystis jirovecii as the causative organism for pneumonia and serology confirmed Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection. Patient was successfully treated with appropriate antimicrobials and de-cannulated after six days of ECMO support.ConclusionECMO was an effective salvage therapy in HIV positive patient with an otherwise fatal respiratory failure due to Pneumocystis pneumonia and air leak syndrome.

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?? 2017. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Labib A, and Alinier G. 'Can simulation improve ECMO care?', Qatar Medical Journal, 4th Annual ELSO-SWAC Conference Proceedings 2017:7 http://dx.doi.org/10.5339/qmj.2017.swacelso.7???Bringing ECMO simulation to life???: The main theme of the 4th Annual Conference of the Extracorporeal Life Support Organisation ??? South and West Asia Chapter (ELSO-SWAC), ???Bringing ECMO Simulation to Life???, is meant to emphasise the growing role of simulation in healthcare and medical education at large and in the highly specialised and complex field of extracorporeal life support (ECLS), and in particular for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Application of ECMO simulation to improve team response to ECMO emergencies was first described in 2006. 1 In the last decade, several authors have described the development, utility, and advantages of simulation-based training for ECMO. In this editorial, we will discuss the role of and evidence supporting the use of simulation-based education in ECMO. ECMO is a complex intervention: The first point to consider when it comes to ECMO is the complexity, time critical, and inter-disciplinary nature of the intervention. Typically, ECMO is considered for the most sick and physiologically deranged patient, sometimes as a last resort rescue measure. Time pressure, the patient critical condition, the potential rapid deterioration, and the uncertainty interact within the critical care environment to make decision-making, planning, and execution quite challenging for the less experienced members of the clinical team. This relates to the domains of team and crisis resource management in which there is a complex interplay of human and environmental factors involved. 2 Appropriate training programmes of the required technical and non-technical skills for ECMO are lacking. 3,4 In addition, ECMO is relatively new to many centres and/or countries, and this novelty brings with it a general lack of experience regarding such therapy and the fear of the unknown. Simulation can help relieve staff anxiety and introduce ECMO in a safe, less intimidating learning environment. 3,4 Ideally, all aspects of ECMO patient care can be progressively introduced to the staff being trained through the use of various simulation modalities to promote better understanding and deep learning regarding the initiation of an ECMO run and ongoing ECMO patient care. Read More: http://www.qscience.com/doi/abs/10.5339/qmj.2017.swacelso.

Background Heterogeneous respiratory system static compliance (CRS) values and levels of hypoxemia in patients with novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) requiring mechanical ventilation have been reported in previous small-case series or studies conducted at a national level. Methods We designed a retrospective observational cohort study with rapid data gathering from the international COVID-19 Critical Care Consortium study to comprehensively describe CRS—calculated as: tidal volume/[airway plateau pressure-positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP)]—and its association with ventilatory management and outcomes of COVID-19 patients on mechanical ventilation (MV), admitted to intensive care units (ICU) worldwide. Results We studied 745 patients from 22 countries, who required admission to the ICU and MV from January 14 to December 31, 2020, and presented at least one value of CRS within the first seven days of MV. Median (IQR) age was 62 (52–71), patients were predominantly males (68%) and from Europe/North and South America (88%). CRS, within 48 h from endotracheal intubation, was available in 649 patients and was neither associated with the duration from onset of symptoms to commencement of MV (p = 0.417) nor with PaO2/FiO2 (p = 0.100). Females presented lower CRS than males (95% CI of CRS difference between females-males: − 11.8 to − 7.4 mL/cmH2O p < 0.001), and although females presented higher body mass index (BMI), association of BMI with CRS was marginal (p = 0.139). Ventilatory management varied across CRS range, resulting in a significant association between CRS and driving pressure (estimated decrease − 0.31 cmH2O/L per mL/cmH20 of CRS, 95% CI − 0.48 to − 0.14, p < 0.001). Overall, 28-day ICU mortality, accounting for the competing risk of being discharged within the period, was 35.6% (SE 1.7). Cox proportional hazard analysis demonstrated that CRS (+ 10 mL/cm H2O) was only associated with being discharge from the ICU within 28 days (HR 1.14, 95% CI 1.02–1.28, p = 0.018). Conclusions This multicentre report provides a comprehensive account of CRS in COVID-19 patients on MV. CRS measured within 48 h from commencement of MV has marginal predictive value for 28-day mortality, but was associated with being discharged from ICU within the same period. Trial documentation: Available at https://www.covid-critical.com/study. Trial registration: ACTRN12620000421932.