Dr Andrew Berry1
1NETS (NSW), , Australia
Abstract:
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) is a technology to bypass the heart and lungs in patients with cardiopulmonary organ failure. It is used for temporary reliance on heart/lung bypass for patients with a severe recoverable condition. It involves cannulating major vessels and passing the blood through an external circuit to achieve gas exchange. Some patients benefit from this treatment before transport to an appropriate tertiary paediatric hospital. That requires dispatch of a cannulation team and a team to manage the patient on ECMO during transport. Most technical solutions to offer ECMO transport are improvised additions to existing medical transport equipment. A new integrated module offering ECMO as a ‘module’ to existing life support systems will be described. It is mechanically and electrically integrated in a way which meets all air and roadworthiness standards. It includes a blood warmer in circuit which is essential for small patients. It can be separately dispatched to the bedside in the referring hospital for use by a cannulation team and perfusionist and then plugged in to the critical care transport system for patient transport.
Biographies:
Neonatal and paediatric retrieval specialist.
State Director NETS (NSW)
Founding member of ASA / ISAS (Australasia).