Provision of ECPR during COVID-19

Worku, E., Gill, D., Brodie, D., Lorusso, R., Combes, A., & Shekar, K. (2020). Provision of ECPR during COVID-19: evidence, equity, and ethical dilemmas. Critical care (London, England), 24(1), 462. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13054-020-03172-2

The use of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) to restore circulation during cardiac arrest is a time-critical, resource-intensive intervention of unproven efficacy. The current COVID-19 pandemic has brought additional complexity and significant barriers to the ongoing provision and implementation of ECPR services. The logistics of patient selection, expedient cannulation, healthcare worker safety, and post-resuscitation care must be weighed against the ethical considerations of providing an intervention of contentious benefit at a time when critical care resources are being overwhelmed by pandemic demand.