Identification and certification of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation specialists in the United States

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a highly specialized technique widely practiced in many hospitals. Despite the proliferation of ECMO, little information has been generated relating to ECMO specialists, a new professional group responsible for managing the extracorporeal life support (ELS) system. A telephone survey of ECMO centers in the United States was conducted to determine the number of ECMO specialists, team composition by profession, and clinical components of ECMO specialist certification. Data were obtained in May 1991 from all 63 (100%) active ELS centers. The survey found that the average ECMO program performs 3,770 +/- 1,019 clinical hours of ELS per year with a team of 23 +/- 11 specialists. There are 1,431 practicing ECMO specialists in the United States: 73% registered nurses, 22% respiratory therapists, and 5% others. Most ECMO specialist teams (56%) are comprised of a single profession, with 44% of programs using a mixture of professions. The average ECMO specialist manages the ELS system 171 +/- 91 hr/yr. Thirty-six (57%) programs have a mean yearly clinical requirement of 77 +/- 23 ELS hours per specialist. These results represent the first complete report identifying the number of ECMO specialists in the United States. In addition, program demographics demonstrate variability in ECMO experience and certification requirements.