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Updated: Feb 14, 2026
Veno-Venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in a Mouse
Published on: October 24, 2018
Pediatric Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Transport Safety-Regional and National Experiences and
Jowita Rosada-Kurasińska1, Bartłomiej Kociński2, Anna Wiernik1
1Department of Paediatric Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznań, Poland.
Insights
Pediatric patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) transfers are safe. Experienced teams and specialized protocols ensure low mortality and morbidity during these critical inter-hospital transports.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Critical Care Medicine
- Cardiopulmonary Support Technologies
Background:
- Venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV ECMO) is vital for reversible respiratory failure when mechanical ventilation fails.
- Advances allow ECMO initiation at referring centers, facilitating high-risk patient transfers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the safety of pediatric patients undergoing medical transfer while on VV ECMO support.
- To assess transport-related mortality and morbidity in pediatric ECMO patients.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of pediatric ECMO transfers to a university hospital (2023-2025).
- Systematic literature review of pediatric ECMO transfers (2015-2025) from PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases.
Main Results:
- Local cohort: 14 pediatric patients transferred on VV ECMO; no mortality or serious adverse events. Two technical issues occurred.
- Systematic review: 900 transfers reported; 86.6% primary ECMO initiations, 37.4% ground transports.
- Adverse events in 28% of reviewed transfers; 0.1% mortality during transport.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric ECMO transports can be safely performed by experienced multidisciplinary mobile teams.
- Both single-center experience and literature review indicate low mortality rates for pediatric ECMO transport.
- Despite potential adverse events, ECMO transfers demonstrate a favorable safety profile.
Abstract:
Background/Objectives: Venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV ECMO) supports reversible respiratory failure when mechanical ventilation fails. Technological advances and specialized teams now enable ECMO initiation at referring centers, even for high-risk transports. This study aimed to evaluate the safety of pediatric patients on ECMO support during medical transfer, based on a single-center experience and a systematic review of the literature. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on all pediatric patients supported with ECMO transferred from regional hospitals to our university hospital (January 2023-September 2025), focusing on transport-related mortality and morbidity. We also performed a systematic review of original articles (2015-2025) using the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases. Results: Fourteen critically ill children with a median age of 16 months (range: 2 months to 11 years) and acute respiratory failure were transferred to our hospital's Intensive Therapy Unit. All transported patients in the local cohort were supported with VV ECMO. Transport distances ranged from 5 to 520 km (median: 151 km). No mortality or serious adverse events occurred during transfer. Two technical issues were noted. In the systematic review, 14 articles met the inclusion criteria, reporting a total of 900 transfers, mainly primary ECMO initiations (779-86.6%). The number of ground transports was 337, which accounted for 37.4%. Adverse events were reported in 252 out of 900, which was 28%. One death during transport was reported (mortality: 1‱). Conclusions: All transports were safely performed by our experienced multidisciplinary mobile ECMO team. Both our experience and literature review confirmed low mortality in pediatric ECMO transport, despite potential life-threatening adverse events.
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