Successful prehospital ECMO in drowning resuscitation after prolonged submersion

Abstract

An 18-year-old drowning victim was successfully resuscitated using prehospital veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO). Despite 24 min of submersion in water with a surface temperature of 15 °C, the patient was cannulated on-scene and transported to a trauma center. After ICU admission on VA-ECMO, he was decannulated and extubated by day 5. He was transferred to a peripheral hospital on day 6 and discharged home after 3.5 weeks with favorable neurological outcome of a Cerebral Performance Categories (CPC) score of 1 out of 5. This case underscores the potential of prehospital ECMO in drowning cases within a well-equipped emergency response system.

Keywords

• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
• Drowning Resuscitation
• Drowning
• Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)
• Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS)
• Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA)