The 60th American Society of Extracorporeal Technology (AmSECT) International Conference was held April 7-10, 2022, in Phoenix, Arizona. The conference included tracks for pediatric and adult perfusion. Topics consisted of congenital technical skills, ethics and safety, standards and guidelines, blood management, program management, ECMO, and more.
Shannon Barletti, BSN, RN, CCP, submitted a manuscript and presented the below abstract on “Anticoagulant Use during Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A Comparison of COVID-19 and ARDS Patients.”
Abstract: Severely ill COVID-19 patients frequently see coagulopathies associated with SARS-CoV-2 that are manifested by higher thromboembolic complications despite aggressive anticoagulation strategies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of heparin and direct hombrin inhibitors (DTI) to treat patients who were placed on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for COVID-19 or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
575 adult patients placed on ECMO between March 2020 and December 2021 were categorized as heparin vs. DTI use for coagulation with descriptive analysis reported by disease state. The primary endpoint was circuit failure that required change-out, adjusted for age, gender, days of mechanical support before ECMO, liver and renal failure, hours on ECMO, and hospital. Secondary endpoints were hepatic and renal organ failure and mortality.
This study showed that DTI was used more frequently in COVID-19 patients than ARDS. COVID-19 DTI patients showed a higher predicted circuit change-out probability than heparin patients. Still, no evidence showed a reliable difference using ARDS as an anticoagulation strategy. Results also showed that hepatic and renal failure was highest among COVID-19 patients and more organ failure with DTI was seen in both groups. There was no difference in anticoagulant use even though mortality was most increased for COVID-19 patients. In conclusion, higher use of DTI in COVID-19 patients showed more variation in anticoagulation and an increased likelihood of circuit change-out in COVID-19. Additionally, DTI use caused more frequent hepatic and renal failure.
SpecialtyCare has partnered AmSECT to cover the cost required to become an AmSECT member for every service that falls under our Perfusion line.
Members will enjoy multiple benefits that will heighten the experience of their careers. Those who join AmSECT will receive critical safety notifications for the perfusion industry, gain access to AmSECT University Safety Educational Modules and peer-reviewed research in the Journal of ExtraCorporeal Technology, and acquire best practice documents and protocols. Additionally, each member will have the opportunity to represent SpecialtyCare in AmSECT Committees and the annual Leadership Symposium, be considered by the JECT Editor-in-Chief as a qualified candidate to serve on the editorial board or as a reviewer of articles, and participate in workshops and webinars. As for conference benefits, members will receive discounted registration for in-person events and virtual meetings featuring cutting-edge content and other workshop discounts.
To become an AmSECT member, click here.
If you are a member of the SpecialtyCare Perfusion Service Line, click here to receive information for your free AmSECT membership using your SpecialtyCare email address.
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