Successful Prehospital Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: A Comprehensive Case Report and Analysis of the Current Experience and Knowledge

• Published in: Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 15; no. 12; p. e49975
• Main Authors: Leivaditis, Vasileios, Papatriantafyllou, Athanasios, Khokhar, Shbiha, Haaf, Bernd, Kammerer, Inna, Kinn, Michael, Hofer, Stefan, Dahm, Manfred
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Cureus Inc 05.12.2023; Cureus
• Subjects: Anesthesiology; Cardiac arrest; Cardiac/Thoracic/Vascular Surgery; Cardiopulmonary resuscitation; Case reports; Clinical trials; Coronary vessels; CPR; Critical care; Emergency Medicine; Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; Females; Hospitals; Intervention; Ischemia; Medical imaging; Mortality; Ostomy; Patients; Veins & arteries; Weaning; extracorporeal life support; prehospital ecmo; extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation; cardiac arrest; out-of-hospital cardiac arrest
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.49975

This case report describes a prehospital extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) in a female patient who suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while shopping in a supermarket. The success of this intervention marks the first of its kind in our institution and highlights the potential of prehospital application of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) systems in life-threatening scenarios. Despite the complicated challenges faced in this case, the patient exhibited a favorable neurological outcome. This case underscores the potential of prehospital ECMO in cardiac arrest scenarios and the benefits of a coordinated, multidisciplinary approach. As prehospital ECMO evolves, it offers hope for saving lives in critical situations where rapid intervention is essential.