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Critical Care
Published in: Critical Care 1/2020

Open Access 01-12-2020 | COVID-19 | Viewpoint

Provision of ECPR during COVID-19: evidence, equity, and ethical dilemmas

Authors: Elliott Worku, Denzil Gill, Daniel Brodie, Roberto Lorusso, Alain Combes, Kiran Shekar

Published in: Critical Care | Issue 1/2020

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Abstract

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.
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Metadata
Title
Provision of ECPR during COVID-19: evidence, equity, and ethical dilemmas
Authors
Elliott Worku
Denzil Gill
Daniel Brodie
Roberto Lorusso
Alain Combes
Kiran Shekar
Publication date
01-12-2020
Publisher
BioMed Central
Keywords
COVID-19
ECMO
ECMO
Published in
Critical Care / Issue 1/2020
Electronic ISSN: 1364-8535
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13054-020-03172-2

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