Critical Care Medicine

Medical Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Program

The multidisciplinary Medical Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) team is a collaboration between the Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Institute, Anesthesia Institute and Respiratory Institute . The goal is to provide care to patients with life-threatening cardio-respiratory failure in whom conventional ventilatory and adjunctive medical therapies were unsuccessful. The medical ECMO team provides expertise in veno-venous ECMO. The program provides 24/7 interdisciplinary consultation for the triage of complex referrals for ECMO transfer eligibility (local, regional, national, and international). ECMO survivors are followed up in a post-ECMO outpatient clinic to address physical, cognitive, and psychosomatic impairments.

Podcasts

Cleveland Clinic Respiratory Medicine hosts podcasts series available on all major platforms including Apple, Google, Soundcloud and Spotify; click on a link below to listen and learn more.

Click on the link below to find and listen to ‘ECMO’ hosted by Eduardo Mireles-Cabodevila, MD, FCCM, Director, Critical Care Medicine Department at Cleveland Clinic Main Campus and Director, Simulation Center, with guest Sudhir Krishnan, MD, MRCPUK, Director, Medical ECMO Program and Director, Acute Respiratory Care Unit.

Respiratory Inspirations. Suitable for any audience interested in learning more about conditions affecting your respiratory health as we discuss related diseases, causes, treatments, innovations and what the future may bring. Visit: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/podcasts/respiratory-inspirations

Veno-Venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Mortality (ECMO)

2021 – 2023

ECMO = extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

The graph above represents veno-venous ECMO runs.* The increase in 2021 volume and mortality reflects the increase in COVID-19 patients on ECMO. The below graph represents the primary diagnosis of patients receiving veno-venous ECMO in 2023.

*An ECMO run is an episode where a patient received ECMO. Some patients have more than one.

Veno-Venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Outcomes

2023

The graph below represents the primary diagnosis of patients receiving veno-venous ECMO in 2023.

ARDS = acute respiratory distress syndrome, BTT = bridge to transplant (COVID-19 & ILD-related), ECMO = extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, ILD = interstitial lung disease, ECPR = Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation, Other = tracheoplexy, ECPR, and difficult airway extubation, PGD = post-operative graft dysfunction, VV ECMO = veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

We had 70 runs* of VV ECMO in 2023. Most of the runs were for respiratory failure from multiple causes.

*An ECMO run is an episode where a patient received ECMO. Some patients have more than one.