Table 2.
Consultation characteristics of ethics committee extracorporeal membrane oxygenation consultations
| Characteristic | Data for 45 Total Consults |
|---|---|
| Time between admission and consultation, d, median (interquartile range) | 4 (2–18) |
| Time between ECMO initiation and consultation, d, median (interquartile range) | 2 (1–6) |
| Role of requestor | |
| Attending nurse | 31 (68.9) |
| Attending physician | 5 (11.1) |
| Nurse director or clinical nurse specialist | 6 (13.3) |
| Staff nurse | 2 (4.4) |
| Family | 1 (2.2) |
| Additional reason for consultation (identified by requestor),* n (%) | |
| Request for moral support/affirmation of actions | 37 (82.2) |
| Clarification of patient’s values and preferences | 14 (31.1) |
| Assistance with setting goals of care | 12 (26.7) |
| Disagreement between clinicians and surrogates | 4 (8.9) |
| Interpreting advance care planning documents | 4 (8.9) |
| Disagreement among family members or surrogates | 3 (6.7) |
| Disagreement among clinicians | 3 (6.7) |
| Question about allocation or stewardship of resources | 3 (6.7) |
| Team desired more care than patient or surrogate | 1 (2.2) |
| Identification of appropriate surrogate | 1 (2.2) |
| Consultation themes, n (%) | |
| Discussion of goals of care | 11 (24.4) |
| Disagreement about ongoing use of ECMO | |
| Surrogate refused to stop ECMO | 3 (6.7) |
| Disagreement among health team members | 2 (4.4) |
| Disagreement among surrogates | 2 (4.4) |
| Patient or surrogate request to stop ECMO | 2 (4.4) |
| Other | 4 (8.9) |
| No specific ethical issue identified | 21 (46.7) |
Definition of abbreviation: ECMO = extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
*
Multiple reasons allowed for each consult.