AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Refer Before The Death Spiral
- Call for ECMO referral before the patient reaches irreversible decline and death spiral.
- Use EOLIA-style thresholds (PF ratio <80 for >6h or pH <7.25 with PaCO2 >60) as referral triggers, but call earlier when possible.
Optimize ARDS Early And Call Early
- Aggressively optimize ARDS care early: lung-protective ventilation, proning, paralytics, volume management, and inhaled therapies.
- If conventional measures are failing or you anticipate failure, call ECMO early rather than waiting days.
Shift To Respiratory Failure Centers
- Think of ECMO centers as respiratory-failure referral centers, not just ECMO shops.
- Early referral and aggressive respiratory management often avoid ECMO and improve outcomes.