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ABSTRACT: Background
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Workforce on Critical Care and the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization sought to identify how the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed the practice of venoarterial (VA) and venovenous (VV) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) programs across North America.Methods
A 26-question survey covering 6 categories (ECMO initiation, cannulation, management, anticoagulation, triage/protocols, and credentialing) was emailed to 276 North American Extracorporeal Life Support Organization centers. ECMO practices before and during the COVID-19 pandemic were compared.Results
Responses were received from 93 (34%) programs. The percentage of high-volume (>20 cases per year) VV ECMO programs increased during the pandemic from 29% to 41% (P < .001), as did institutions requiring multiple clinicians for determining initiation of ECMO (VV ECMO, 25% to 43% [P = .001]; VA ECMO, 20% to 32% [P = .012]). During the pandemic, more institutions developed their own protocols for resource allocation (23% before to 51%; P < .001), and more programs created sharing arrangements to triage patients and equipment with other centers (31% to 57%; P < .001). Direct thrombin inhibitor use increased for both VA ECMO (13% to 18%; P = .025) and VV ECMO (12% to 24%; P = .005). Although cardiothoracic surgeons remained the primary cannulating proceduralists, VV ECMO cannulations performed by pulmonary and critical care physicians increased (13% to 17%; P = .046).Conclusions
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons/Extracorporeal Life Support Organization collaborative survey indicated that the pandemic has affected ECMO practice. Further research on these ECMO strategies and lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic may be useful in future global situations.
SUBMITTER: Milewski RC
PROVIDER: S-EPMC9618293 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Milewski Rita C RC Chatterjee Subhasis S Merritt-Genore HelenMari H Hayanga J W Awori JWA Grant Michael C MC Roy Nathalie N Hirose Hitoshi H Moosdorf Rainer R Whitman Glenn J GJ Haft Jonathan W JW Hiebert Brett B Stead Christine C Rycus Peter P Arora Rakesh C RC
Annals of thoracic surgery short reports 20221030 1
<h4>Background</h4>The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Workforce on Critical Care and the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization sought to identify how the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed the practice of venoarterial (VA) and venovenous (VV) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) programs across North America.<h4>Methods</h4>A 26-question survey covering 6 categories (ECMO initiation, cannulation, management, anticoagulation, triage/protocols, and credentialing) was e ...[more]