ECPR2: Expert Consensus on PeRcutaneous Cannulation for Extracorporeal CardioPulmonary Resuscitation.

AIM: Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) has emerged as a promising resuscitation strategy for select patients suffering from refractory out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), though limited data exist regarding the best practices for ECPR initiation after OHCA. METHODS: We utilized a modified Delphi process consisting of two survey rounds and a virtual consensus meeting to systematically identify detailed best practices for ECPR initiation following adult non-traumatic OHCA. A modified Delphi process builds content validity and is an accepted method to develop consensus by eliciting expert opinions through multiple rounds of questionnaires. Consensus was achieved when items reached a high level of agreement, defined as greater than 80% responses for a particular item rated a 4 or 5 on a 5-point Likert scale. RESULTS: Snowball sampling generated a panel of 14 content experts, composed of physicians from four continents and five primary specialties. Seven existing institutional protocols for ECPR cannulation following OHCA were identified and merged into a single comprehensive list of 207 items. The panel reached consensus on 101 items meeting final criteria for inclusion: Prior to Patient Arrival (13 items), Inclusion Criteria (8), Exclusion Criteria (7), Patient Arrival (8), ECPR Cannulation (21), Go On Pump (18), and Post-Cannulation (26). CONCLUSION: We present a list of items for ECPR initiation following adult nontraumatic OHCA, generated using a modified Delphi process from an international panel of content experts. These findings may benefit centers currently performing ECPR in quality assurance and serve as a template for new ECPR programs.

Early ECPR for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: Best practice in 2018.

Extracorporeal CPR is a second line treatment for refractory cardiac arrest, as written in the latest International Guidelines. Optimal timing, patient selection, location and method of implementation vary across the world. The objective here is to present an international consensus on the pillars of an ECPR program. The major aspect the group agrees on in that ECPR should be implemented within 60 minutes of collapse. With this in mind, the program should be built according to local resources knowing that the optimal team will require pre-established specific roles with personnel dedicated to resuscitation and others to ECPR.

Emergency physician-initiated extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

CONTEXT: Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) refers to emergent percutaneous veno-arterial cardiopulmonary bypass to stabilize and provide temporary support of patients who suffer cardiopulmonary arrest. Initiation of ECPR by emergency physicians with meaningful long-term patient survival has not been demonstrated. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether emergency physicians could successfully incorporate ECPR into the resuscitation of patients who present to the emergency department (ED) with cardiopulmonary collapse refractory to traditional resuscitative efforts. DESIGN: A three-stage algorithm was developed for ED ECPR in patients meeting inclusion/exclusion criteria. We report a case series describing our experience with this algorithm over a 1-year period. RESULTS: 42 patients presented to our ED with cardiopulmonary collapse over the 1-year study period. Of these, 18 patients met inclusion/exclusion criteria for the algorithm. 8 patients were admitted to the hospital after successful ED ECPR and 5 of those patients survived to hospital discharge neurologically intact. 10 patients were not started on bypass support because either their clinical conditions improved or resuscitative efforts were terminated. CONCLUSION: Emergency physicians can successfully incorporate ED ECPR in the resuscitation of patients who suffer acute cardiopulmonary collapse. More studies are necessary to determine the true efficacy of this therapy.