Experience with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support in Latin America between 2016 and 2020

To document the experience with ECMO therapy in healthcare institutions across Latin America between 2016 and 2020.

Cross-sectional study.

Private and public health institutions from 7 countries.

ECMO Intensive Care Units.

None.

General characteristics of the center (country, ELSO center, year of first cannulation, public or private network, ECMO devices available, mobile ECMO), professional category (nurses, physicians, specialists and other professionals), nurse-to-patient ratio, interventions applied(support indications, scores, mechanical ventilation at ECMO commencement, anticoagulation and hemolysis, circuit monitoring and patient perfusion, antibiotic prophylaxis), and patient outcomes (complications and survival) in ECMO centers.

Thirteen ECMO units were included. These units reported 133 consoles and 1629 ECMO cannulations. Of these, 1018 corresponded to adult patients, 468 to pediatric patients, and 143 to newborn infants. A total of 310 medical specialists were involved in ECMO care, of whom 70.3% had received ECMO training. The nurse-to-patient ratio was 1:1 in most centers (76.9%, n = 10). Amongst adult patients, the most common indication for initiating ECMO support was refractory hypoxemia, whereas in pediatric patients, it was a post-cardiotomy shock. The mean overall survival rate of the patients at the time of decannulation was 55.7% (95%CI 53.0-58.3).

The ICUs with ECMO in Latin America participating in this study have demonstrated operational capabilities enabling them to achieve outcomes comparable to those of other ECMO units across the world.