Trends and emerging technologies in extracorporeal life support: results of the 2006 ECLS survey

Extracorporeal life support (ECLS) is a procedure used to support the failing heart and/or lungs via a heart lung machine. Over 145 institutions perform this practice in the United States with more than 24,000 ECLS cases recorded. While many articles are published each year on common perfusion practice, little information is shared on emerging technologies in ECLS and common practices among perfusionists and ECLS specialists. This article presents our 2006 ECLS survey results and discusses emerging technologies and management topics new to the ECLS arena. ECLS specialists were asked to participate in an online survey. Two hundred twenty-two ECLS specialists responded. This survey suggests positive displacement roller pumps are still the leading pump used for ECLS 122/188 (64.9%). Silicone membrane oxygenators are used by responders 75% of the time for long-term use, while hollow fiber membrane oxygenators are used 44%. Forty-five percent of responders are using heparin or biocoated circuits exclusively, while 14.6% restrict their use to specific subpopulations. The most common coating is heparin coating (67.9%). Activated clotting time (ACT) management is still standard of care for coagulation monitoring (98%), while partial thromboplastin time (PTT) follows at 71.7%. The interquartile range for ACTs is 160-220 seconds and 160-200 seconds with active bleeding. This article suggests ECLS specialists are beginning to incorporate different technology into their practice, such as centrifugal pumps with hollow fiber oxygenators and coated-circuits.