BEST Life—“Bringing ECMO Simulation To Life”—How Medical Simulation Improved a Regional ECMO Program

• DOI: 10.1111/aor.13332
• Publication Date: 2018-07-25T07:28:36Z
• Authors: Mateusz Puślecki; Marcin Ligowski; Marek Dąbrowski; Sebastian Stefaniak; Małgorzata Ładzińska; Piotr Ładziński; Aleksander Pawlak; Marcin Zieliński; Agata Dąbrowska; Aniela Artyńska; Mariusz Gezela; Paweł Sobczyński; Łukasz Szarpak; Bartłomiej Perek; Marek Jemielity
• Keywords: Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation; Life support

The implemented "ECMO for Greater Poland" program takes full advantage of the ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) perfusion therapy to promote health 3.5 million inhabitants in region. predominant subjects implementation are patients with hypothermia, severe reversible respiratory failure (RRF), and treatment other critical states leading heart such as sudden cardiac arrest, cardiogenic shock or acute intoxication. Finally, it promotes donation after circulatory death (DCD) strategy selected organ donor cases. enables recovery organs' function unsuccessful lifesaving treatment. Because this organizational model is complex expensive, we use advanced high-fidelity medical simulation prepare real-life implementation. During first four months, performed scenarios mimicking DCD," ECPR (extended cardiopulmonary resuscitation)," RRF" hypothermia." It helped create algorithms aforementioned arms. In following three courses five departments Poznan (capitol city Poland) were organized standardized operating procedures road transportation within Medical Emergency System created. Soon program, 38 including transportations on performed. Maastricht category II DCD done times real two cases double successful kidney transplantations carried out time Poland. was applied nine adult failure, RRF, pediatric group, RRF 14 surgery procedures. Additionally, one child treated successfully 200 km-long transport ECMO. We achieved good promising results especially VV therapy. Simulation-based training enabled us build a procedural chain, eliminate errors at stage identification, notification, transportation, providing discovered important role simulation, not only test professional's skills, but also critical/life-threatening states. Moreover, resulted increase potential pool from Poland