ECMO Specialist // Share Your Experience

There are so many different experiences that clinicians have when it comes to ECMO, and also various experiences that ECMO Specialists have at medical centers around the world. This is important to understand because as the role and specialty grows, the training, education and integration within the ECMO program and hospital should also improve. There has been dynamic growth among medical centers that provide ECMO since 2010. Hospitals that never considered providing ECMO have formed methods of increasing their level of support by strategizing a way to provide what is needed. Program development succeeds with careful planning and a team of people who understand what it takes and why it matters. ECMO Specialists are a key role of the team and also the progression of ECMO patients.

If you are an ECMO Specialist, complete the ECMO Specialist survey here.

The specialists that provide care for ECMO patients and circuits has shifted over the years. Two decades ago, it was common that perfusionists were the only clinicians who would intervene during emergencies and manage a circuit. That dynamic has quickly changed as the need for highly trained specialists at the bedside increased.

An important aspect of in house ECMO Specialist programs that utilize nurses and respiratory therapists includes training, education and oversight.

OU Health shared their experience related to transforming their ECMO program from reliance on contingency labor to in house training of nurses and respiratory therapists as ECMO Specialists. Their team decreased contingency labor (third party companies) by 47% through implementing in house training for their ECMO Specialists. Read their abstract here.

In the 2023 article Implementing Nurse ECMO Specialists to Maintain a Sustainable Program, Boyd et al points out that "switching to a nurse-driven model resulted in a 52% decrease in costs related to the hourly management. Changing to a nurse-driven program provided increased nursing support and sustainability, and with determination and support, other ECMO centers can also change to nurse-driven programs."

The University of California in San Diego reported their findings of a nurse-driven ECMO program and shared their cost savings, program growth, patient survival and complication rates. Read the full article here.

Results on the impact of staff retention within a high volume adult ECMO center is noteworthy. "The results identified four key factors of the ES role that positively contribute to staff retention: financial incentives, advanced skillset, team cohesion, and the rarity of opportunity" - read the full report here.

ECMO Specialists are a key role in the care and progression of an ECMO patient. When properly trained and empowered, they provide necessary support throughout an ECMO run. They help guide care, intervene during emergency situations, educate, assist during cannulation, transport ECMO patients, respond to ECPR calls, arrange transport from other facilities, equip other staff members throughout the hospital to evaluate candidacy of potential ECMO patients and so much more.

If you are an ECMO Specialist, let your voice be heard and share your experience by completing this survey.

References:

Boyd DL, Lyle-Edrosolo G. Implementing Nurse Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Specialists to Maintain a Sustainable Program. Nurse Lead. 2023 Apr;21(2):239-243. doi: 10.1016/j.mnl.2022.06.006. Epub 2022 Aug 11. PMID: 35971513; PMCID: PMC9365521.

Odish, Mazen MD1; Yi, Cassia RN, MSN2; Tainter, Christopher MD3; Najmaii, Samira MSc4; Ovando, Julio ASRT4; Chechel, Laura RN2; Lipinski, Jerry MD5; Ignatyev, Alex2; Pile, Alexander2; Yeong Jang, Yun2; Lin, Tuo MS6; Tu, Xin M. PhD6; Madani, Michael MD7; Patel, Mitul MD5; Meier, Angela MD, PhD3; Pollema, Travis DO7; Owens, Robert L. MD1. The Implementation and Outcomes of a Nurse-Run Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Program, a Retrospective Single-Center Study. Critical Care Explorations 3(6):p e0449, June 2021. | DOI: 10.1097/CCE.0000000000000449

Sheasby, Jenelle; Krais, Suzanne; Afzal, Aasim; George, Timothy. 55: The Role of the ECMO Specialist: An Exploratory Analysis of its Impact on ICU Staff Retention. ASAIO Journal 70(Supplement 4):p 101-102, September-October 2024. | DOI: 10.1097/01.mat.0001070448.32639.68