Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36464607›Full record

Observational studyIntensive & critical care nursing2023

One hundred ECMO retrivals before and during the Covid-19 pandemic: an observational study.

Alberto Lucchini, Roberto Gariboldi, Marta Villa, Luigi Cannizzo, Flavia Pegoraro, Letizia Fumagalli, Roberto Rona, Giuseppe Foti, Marco Giani, ASST Monza – Mobile ECMO team group

Open access · greenAbstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in Intensive & critical care nursing, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
1.5field-weighted citation impact, top 19% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 19 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Immediate post-ECPR management strategies in the prehospital and critical care transport medicine environments.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2025
    Review
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Alberto LucchiniDepartment of Emergency and Intensive Care, San Gerardo University Hospital, Monza, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy. Electronic address: a.lucchini@asst-monza.it.
Roberto GariboldiDepartment of Emergency and Intensive Care, San Gerardo University Hospital, Monza, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy. Electronic address: r.gariboldi@asst-monza.it.
Marta VillaDepartment of Emergency and Intensive Care, San Gerardo University Hospital, Monza, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy.
Luigi CannizzoDepartment of Emergency and Intensive Care, San Gerardo University Hospital, Monza, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy. Electronic address: l.cannizzo@asst-monza.it.
Flavia PegoraroDepartment of Emergency and Intensive Care, San Gerardo University Hospital, Monza, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy.
Letizia FumagalliDepartment of Emergency and Intensive Care, San Gerardo University Hospital, Monza, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy.
Roberto RonaDepartment of Emergency and Intensive Care, San Gerardo University Hospital, Monza, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy. Electronic address: roberto.rona@libero.it.
Giuseppe FotiDepartment of Emergency and Intensive Care, San Gerardo University Hospital, Monza, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy. Electronic address: g.foti@asst-monza.it.
Marco GianiDepartment of Emergency and Intensive Care, San Gerardo University Hospital, Monza, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy. Electronic address: marco.giani@unimib.it.
ASST Monza – Mobile ECMO team groupDepartment of Emergency and Intensive Care, San Gerardo University Hospital, Monza, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy.
University of Milano-Bicocca · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesPatients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome may require veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V-V ECMO) support. For patients in peripheral hospitals, retrieval by mobile ECMO teams and transport to high-volume centers is associated with improved outcomes, including the recent COVID-19 pandemic. To enable a safe transport of patients, a specialised ECMO-retrieval program needs to be implemented. However, there is insufficient evidence on how to safely and efficiently perform ECMO retrievals. We report single-centre data from out-of-centre initiations of VV-ECMO before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN &

settingSingle-centre retrospective study. We include all the retrievals performed by our ECMO centre between January 1st, 2014, and April 30th, 2021.

resultsOne hundred ECMO missions were performed in the study period, for a median retrieval volume of 13 (IQR: 9-16) missions per year. the cause of the acute respiratory distress syndrome was COVID-19 in 10 patients (10 %). 98 (98 %) patients were retrieved and transported to our ECMO centre. To allow safe transport, 91 of them were cannulated on-site and transported on V-V ECMO. The remaining seven patients were centralised without ECMO, but they were all connected to V-V ECMO in the first 24 hours. No complications occurred during patient transport. The median duration of the ECMO mission was 7 hours (IQR: 6-9, range: 2 - 17). Median duration of ECMO support was 14 days (IQR: 9-24), whereas the ICU stay was 24 days (IQR:18-44). Overall, 73 patients were alive at hospital discharge (74 %). Survival rate was similar in non-COVID-19 and COVID-19 group (73 % vs 80 %, p = 0.549).

conclusionIn this single-centre experience, before and during COVID-19 era, retrieval and ground transportation of ECMO patients was feasible and was not associated with complications. Key factors of an ECMO retrieval program include a careful selection of the transport ambulance, training of a dedicated ECMO mobile team and preparation of specific checklists and standard operating procedures.

Indexed as

COVID-19Extracorporeal Membrane OxygenationRespiratory Distress SyndromeHumansPandemicsRetrospective StudiesTreatment OutcomeCOVID-19ECMOECMO retrievalMobile ECMO teamTransport

Identifiers

PMID36464607
PMCPMC9647026
OpenAlexW4308901918

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.