Successful Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Implementation at a Non-tertiary Medical Center: A Single-Center...

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Critical Care Medicine
• Medical Technology

Background:

• Non-tertiary medical centers face unique challenges in establishing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) programs due to inexperience and limited resources.
• Existing literature lacks a detailed framework addressing these specific challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline a proactive strategy for developing an ECMO program at a non-tertiary center.
• To retrospectively analyze patient data, ECMO characteristics, adverse events, and survival outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 11 patients who underwent ECMO between December 2021 and March 2023.
• Data collection included patient demographics, clinical characteristics, ECMO configuration, support duration, adverse events, and survival to discharge.
• Statistical analysis using mean, median, percentages, standard deviation, and interquartile range.

Main Results:

• The study included 11 patients (mean age 38 years; range 25-69 years), with hypertension being the most common comorbidity (64%).
• A single major adverse event occurred.
• Survival to hospital discharge was 73% (8 out of 11 patients), with most survivors discharged home.

Conclusions:

• Safe implementation of ECMO is achievable in non-tertiary settings with inexperienced staff and limited resources.
• Adherence to guidelines, particularly patient selection, is crucial.
• A proactive strategy involving targeted training, management protocols, and adverse event mitigation is key to success.