Developing an ECPR Program for Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Introduction: Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) has emerged as a novel treatment for cardiac arrest that is refractory to conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). As part of a quality improvement initiative we sought to develop a program at our institution. Hypothesis: ECPR is a feasible and effective alternative means of resuscitation for patients in refractory cardiac arrest. Methods: We developed a multidisciplinary ECPR team consisting of staff from Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Emergency Department, Cardiology, Cardiac Surgery and Critical Care Medicine. Patients with an out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) refractory to medical treatment were identified by EMS and brought to our institution if they met our program selection criteria. The patient was cannulated in the Emergency Department or Catheterization Laboratory, then underwent coronary angiogram with intervention if applicable and was transferred to cardiothoracic intensive care unit (ICU) for further care. Results: From October 1 st 2015 to March 31 st 2018, a total of 1165 out of hospital cardiac arrests occurred, of which five met criteria for our study. Median age was 47 [IQR 32-53] and four were men. Most common arrest rhythm was VF (80%), one patient had ST elevation on EKG. Time from arrest to initiation of ECMO was 63 [IQR 59-69] min with 5 [IQR 3-6] defibrillations and 6 [IQR 6-7] doses of epinephrine administered. Four patients were successfully cannulated (80%). Cannulation time was 21 [IQR 16-33] min, with one patient achieving ROSC during cannulation. All patients underwent angiography, with two patients receiving coronary intervention (40%). ECMO duration was 48 [IQR 38-68] hours and length of stay was 2 [IQR 2-8] days. All patients had an initial Pittsburgh Cardiac Arrest Category of 4. Two patients (40%) survived to hospital discharge with good neurologic function. Conclusions: ECPR is a potentially life-saving alternative treatment to conventional CPR that is feasible in our patient population.