Interhospital Transport System for Critically Ill Patients: Mobile Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation without a Ventilator
Background: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been successfully used as a method for the interhospital transportation of critically ill patients. In South Korea, a well-established ECMO interhospital transport system is lacking due to limited resources. We developed a simplified ECMO...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Korean Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
2017-02-01
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| Series: | Korean Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.kjtcvs.org/journal/download_pdf.php?doi=10.5090/kjtcs.2017.50.1.8 |
| Summary: | Background: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been successfully used as a method for the
interhospital transportation of critically ill patients. In South Korea, a well-established ECMO interhospital
transport system is lacking due to limited resources. We developed a simplified ECMO transport system without
mechanical ventilation for use by public emergency medical services. Methods: Eighteen patients utilized
our ECMO transport system from December 2011 to September 2015. We retrospectively analyzed the indications
for ECMO, the patient status during transport, and the patient outcomes. Results: All transport was
conducted on the ground by ambulance. The distances covered ranged from 26 to 408 km (mean, 65.9±88.1
km) and the average transport time was 56.1±57.3 minutes (range, 30 to 280 minutes). All patients were
transported without adverse events. After transport, 4 patients (22.2%) underwent lung transplantation because
of interstitial lung disease. Eight patients who had severe acute respiratory distress syndrome showed
recovery of heart and lung function after ECMO therapy. A total of 13 patients (70.6%) were successfully
taken off ECMO, and 11 patients (61.1%) survived. Conclusion: Our ECMO transport system without mechanical
ventilation can be considered a safe and useful method for interhospital transport and could be a good
alternative option for ECMO transport in Korean hospitals with limited resources. |
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| ISSN: | 2233-601X 2093-6516 |