Table 3.
Characteristics of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for the Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAH) and the Gold Coast University Hospital (GCUH) combined
| Respiratory ECMO | Cardiac ECMO | |
|---|---|---|
| Place ECMO first initiated | ||
| ICU (PAH or GCUH) | 27 (55%) | 16 (59%) |
| Operating theatre (PAH or GCUH) | 6 (12%) | 7 (26%) |
| Cardiac catheterisation laboratory (PAH or GCUH) | 0 (0%) | 3 (11%) |
| Other hospital, then retrieved | 16 (33%) | 1 (4%) |
| Median days on ECMO (range) | 13 (1–53) | 6 (3–24) |
| Outcome of ECMO | ||
| Died on ECMO or palliative withdrawal of ECMO | 6 (12%) | 5 (19%) |
| Survived ECMO | 43 (88%) | 22 (81%) |
| Median RBC units transfused during ECMO (range) | 10 (0–84) | 11 (0–113) |
| IABP while on ECMO | 0 (0%) | 7 (26%) |
| Circuit change-outs | ||
| 0 | 38 (78%) | 25 (93%) |
| 1 | 8 (16%) | 1 (4%) |
| 2 | 3 (6%) | 1 (4%) |
| Second ECMO run | 1 (2%) | 0 (0%) |
IABP = intra-aortic balloon pump; ICU = intensive care unit; RBC = red blood cells. All patients aged > 18 years treated with ECMO for cardiac or respiratory failure. If a patient was on ECMO for any part of a day, that day was counted as a day on ECMO; for the patient who had two ECMO runs, these have been combined to give the total days on ECMO.