Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Cardiac Arrest.

Abdou, Merna; Behroozian, Adam A; Evans, Shawn; Jones, Daniel S; Mohan, Rajeev C; Stinis, Curtiss T; Khedraki, Rola

doi:10.1016/j.iccl.2026.03.007

Cardiac arrest & resuscitation

Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Cardiac Arrest.

Merna Abdou, Adam A Behroozian, Shawn Evans, Daniel S Jones, Rajeev C Mohan, Curtiss T Stinis, Rola Khedraki

Interventional cardiology clinics · 2026-04-29 · Other / unclear

Read at publisher · PubMed

Abstract

This review highlights extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR), the rapid deployment of veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as salvage therapy for refractory cardiac arrest. The goal is to bridge patients to recovery or advanced therapies, with outcomes dependent on patient selection (witnessed arrest, shockable rhythm, younger age, and limited comorbidities) and minimizing "low flow" time. ECPR is now applied across intraprocedural, critical care, and out-of-hospital settings. Initiation after failed early resuscitation requires precise choreography, with survival hinging on experienced, well-rehearsed teams capable of rapid, coordinated responses tailored to the arrest context.