The Journal of ExtraCorporeal Technology No 57-1 | Page 47

R . Alejandro Díaz Gómez et al .: J Extra Corpor Technol 2025 , 57 , 38 – 41 41
Comment
In cases of in-hospital cardiac arrest ( IHCA ), the decision to withdraw resuscitation should not rely solely on the elapsed time . Several factors warrant consideration , including patient age , reversibility of cardiac arrest , initial rhythm , underlying medical conditions , resuscitation quality , and CPR response .
In this specific case , prompt and effective resuscitation efforts coupled with early consideration of ECMO , timely cannulation and transfer to a specialized center contributed to a successful outcome .
This case report underscores the potential life – saving benefits of a rapid and aggressive multidisciplinary approach , including mobile ECPR and prolonged direct cardiac massage in patients with refractory cardiac arrest , highlighting the uniqueness of this rare combination . While further research is needed to validate these findings , our experience suggests that strategy may offer hope and expand the therapeutic window for patients with otherwise unsurvivable cardiac arrest in a center without an ECMO program .
Funding This research did not receive any specific funding .
Conflicts of interest None .
Data availability statement All available data are incorporated into the article .
Author contribution statement
RD , CGK , CAN , and DGG participated directly in the clinical case study and wrote the first version . GBG and LFR performed the reference analysis and all authors contributed to the final version .
Ethics approval
A case report consent form was also obtained from the patient . This paper was presented prior to publication to the Local Ethics Committee ( Clinica Red Salud Santiago ).
References
1 . Okubo M , Komukai S , Andersen LW , et al . Duration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and outcomes in adults with in-hospital cardiac arrest : a retrospective cohort study . BMJ . 2024 ; 384 : e076019 .
2 . Nolan JP , Armstrong RA , Kane AD , Kursumovic E , Davies MT , Moppett IK , Cook TM , Soar J , NAP7 Collaborators . Advanced life support interventions during intra-operative cardiac arrest among adults as reported to the 7th National Audit Project of the Royal College of Anaesthetists . Anaesthesia . 2024 ; 79:914 – 923 .
3 . Stanford University School of Medicine . ( V4.4 2022 .). Cognitive aids for perioperative crisis emergency manual [ PDF ]. Stanford University . Retrieved November 25 , 2024 , from https :// web . stanford . edu / dept / anesthesia / em / epic-manual . pdf .
4 . Holmberg MJ , Granfeldt A , Guerguerian AM , et al . Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation for cardiac arrest : an updated systematic review . Resuscitation . 2023 ; 182:109665 .
5 . Wang M , Lu X , Gong P , Zhong Y , Gong D , Song Y . Open-chest cardiopulmonary resuscitation versus closed-chest cardiopulmonary resuscitation in patients with cardiac arrest : a systematic review and meta-analysis . Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med . 2019 ; 27 ( 1 ): 116 .
6 . Hinkelbein J , Andres J , Bottiger BW , et al . Cardiac arrest in the perioperative period : a consensus guideline for identification , treatment , and prevention from the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care and the European Society for Trauma and Emergency Surgery . Eur J Anaesthesiol . 2023 ; 40:724 – 736 . https :// doi . org / 10.1097 / EJA . 0000000000001813 .
7 . Zhang Y , Zhang L , Huang X , Ma N , Wang P , Li L , Chen X , Ji X . ECMO in adult patients with severe trauma : a systematic review and meta-analysis . Eur J Med Res . 2023 ; 28 ( 1 ): 412 .
8 . Aubin H , Petrov G , Dalyanoglu H , et al . Four-year experience of providing mobile extracorporeal life support to out-of-center patients within a suprainstitutional network-Outcome of 160 consecutively treated patients . Resuscitation . 2017 ; 121:151 – 157 .
9 . Song C , Dennis M , Burns B , et al . Improving access to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for out of hospital cardiac arrest : pre-hospital ECPR and alternate delivery strategies . Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med . 2022 ; 30 ( 1 ): 77 .
10 . Hadaya J , Sanaiha Y , Gudzenko V , Qadir N , Singh S , Nsair A , Cho NY , Shemin RJ , Benharash P , Anderson I , Bland S . Implementation and outcomes of an urban mobile adult extracorporeal life support program . JTCVS Tech . 2022 ; 12:78 – 92 .
Cite this article as : Alejandro Díaz Gómez R , Alvarado Neves C , Gloria Karlezi de la Fuente C , Cecilia Bejarano Alva G , Garcia Gomez D & Fernanda Rodas García L . A case of intraoperative arrest & mobile ECMO . J Extra Corpor Technol 2025 , 57 , 38 – 41 . https :// doi . org / 10.1051 / ject / 2025003 .