Physicians use ECMO in the field for 1st time in US
Doctors at the University of New Mexico (UNM) Hospital used an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation system (ECMO) to treat a cardiac arrest patient in the field for the first time last week, the Albuquerque Journal reported Oct. 7.
According to the Journal, UNM Hospital’s achievement marks the first time ECMO has been used in the field on this side of the Atlantic Ocean. Darren Braude, a professor of emergency medicine at the hospital, and his colleagues said they believe the updated approach will expand the number of cardiac arrest cases they and emergency staff can treat effectively.
The UNM milestone is the ultimate result of an effort to make ECMO a more portable life-support solution, the Journal reported. When hooked up to a patient, ECMO simulates the effects of a heart and pair of lungs by draining blood from the right chamber of the heart, pressurizing and oxygenating that blood and returning it to the patient’s body.
Right now, ECMO is only available at a select few hospitals, but this newfound portability could very well change that. Braude’s colleague Todd Dettmer, a critical care physician, said his team hopes this breakthrough will allow emergency responders to bring ECMO to underserved, more rural communities where cardiac arrest survival is lower.
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After graduating from Indiana University-Bloomington with a bachelor’s in journalism, Anicka joined TriMed’s Chicago team in 2017 covering cardiology. Close to her heart is long-form journalism, Pilot G-2 pens, dark chocolate and her dog Harper Lee.