Management of Surge in Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Transport

Transporting patients receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support is safe and reliable with a dedicated program and established management protocols. As our program has grown, our teams have had to adapt to manage surges in transport volume while maintaining patient safety. We assessed the outcomes at peak use of our ECMO transport services during surges.

We conducted a single-center retrospective review of all patients transported to our institution while supported with ECMO from September 2008 to September 2016. Survival to discharge was the primary outcome. Surge patients were defined as those transported during months with at least 8 transports or patients transported within 24 hours of another patient in nonsurge months.

From 2008 to 2016, 222 patients were transported to our institution while supported with ECMO. Baseline characteristics and indices of disease severity were comparable between surge and nonsurge patients. Of the 84 patients transported during surges, 59 surge patients (70%) survived to hospital discharge vs 86 (63%) of nonsurge patients (p = 0.31). Multivariable logistic regression showed that age and APACHE II (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation) severity index score were predictors of in-hospital death (p < 0.05), but transportation during a surge was not (odds ratio, 0.91; 95% confidence interval, 0.46 to 1.80; p = 0.79).

Patient safety and clinical outcomes can be maintained during surges in ECMO transport volume if the ECMO program has developed plans for handling transient increases in volume and considers staff fatigue and burnout. Standardizing interhospital communication, patient selection, and management protocols are critical to maintaining quality of care.