1. Use of Coagulation Algorithm at the Bedside During Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation in Neonatal and Pediatric Patients
Kimberly Goracke

2. Description of ECMO
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is used in intensive care medicine. It is a bypass machine that supports the heart and lungs when all other treatments have failed. One major component to a successful ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) case is balanced coagulation. The pump and patient must be adequately anticoagulated for the pump and oxygenator system to run efficiently. However, too much anticoagulation will lead to the patient having uncontrolled bleeding. The problem is achieving coagulation within specific limits for each patient. A registered nurse (RN) that is specially trained as an ECMO specialist is responsible for management of the ECMO pump and patient. That nurse is the first line of communication with the ECMO team of physicians and must spend his or her entire shift observing the patient and pump. The ECMO specialist monitors and manages coagulation on the patients within written parameters. Yet there is some acceptable variability in managing the coagulation status of the ECMO patient by the ECMO specialist.

5. ELSO Extracorporal Life Support Organization
ELSO is the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization. It is an international data base for healthcare professionals whose primary mission is to maintain a registry of the use of ECMO in active ELSO centers.
This data base has been used to gather data since ECMO has been used.

6. Defining the Populations According to ELSO
Neonatal: newborn to 30 DOL
Pediatric: >30 days and less than 18 yrs
ELSO data is broken down into categories by age.

7. Background Data from ELSO
82% of all patients on ECMO are pediatric or neonatal
ECMO therapy is used to treat three main diagnoses: respiratory failure, heart failure and sepsis
Terminology: ECMO run
For example, a congenital heart disease patient may go on ECMO for the first time for postoperative cariogenic shock. A year later the same patient may go on ECMO for respiratory support with the flu. These are described as two separate ECMO runs.

8. ECMO Therapy
ECMO is typically used as an escalation of therapy with ECMO being the most invasive intervention that is wrought with complications due to coagulation issues. ECMO therapy does not directly heal any patient disease but can take over the heart and lung system function to give the patient time to heal and/or give treatment therapies time to work. It is often considered a bridge while other medical therapies are being used. ECMO is only used for severe acute and potentially reversible disease processes (

9. Neonatal Patient Diagnosis for ECMO:
Congenital diaphragmatic hernias (CDH)
Meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS)
Persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN)
Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS)
Sepsis
pneumonia
air leak syndrome
congenital heart defect
cardiac arrest
cardiogenic shock
cardiomyopathy
myocarditis
or other similar causes

10. Pediatric Population Diagnosis for ECMO
Pneumonia-viral or bacterial
Aspiration pneumonia
ARDS acute respiratory failure
Congenital heart defect
Cardiac arrest
congenital defect
cardiac arrest
cardiogenic shock
cardiomyopathy
myocarditis
and other similar cases

11. ECMO Complications Bleeding Clotting Pump Patient patient
Anticoagulation is achieved in ECMO therapy by a combination of heparin and antithrombin titration and maintaince. During this time the ECMO specialist is continually evaluating the ECMO circuit and the patient for signs of clotting and bleeding. Coagulation problems occur when the blood is pumped outside the patient’s body and comes into contact with artificially made tubing. The ECMO specialist is the first person to process the patient and pump information and in most institutions the specialist has an order set to titrate heparin drip therapy based on the physical assessment and laboratory results. Research is needed on the best management methods for coagulation of the patient on ECMO. The ECMO specialists have parameters to assist them in managing coagulation, but if there is a need to go outside the parameters, then they consult the entire ECMO team which includes the intenstivist, ECMO physician, a perfusionist, or the cardiovascular/general surgeons.

12. Significance of the Problem
The coagulation pathway is complex and the decision pathway is complicated when a patient is artificially anticoagulated. ECMO specialists require guidance for prevention of over coagulation (clots) and/or excessive bleeding. This balance between anticoagulation and bleeding must be constantly evaluated and maintained.

13. Purpose Statement
This specific research project will evaluate coagulation management and coagulation status of patients after the introduction of a specific coagulation algorithm for use by the ECMO specialist.

14. Goal
The goal of this study is to have improved coagulation management of patients by the ECMO specialist using the coagulation algorithm.

15. Research Question
Does the initiation of a coagulation algorithm by the ECMO specialist in the neonatal/pediatric population decrease coagulation complications while on ECMO?

16. A model for evidence-based practice
The problem was that all the experienced ECMO specialist were leaving at the same time. It was a small group of 7 and 4 where leaving within 2 months of each other. As you know the coagulation pathway is complex and difficult to understand. It is difficult to understand the process and decision making that goes into the partial coagulation with ECMO. There was no evedice in the literature on hour to hour, day to day coagulation management for coagulation specialist. I designed an algorithm that was reviewed by the ECMO medical director. The algorithm was implemented and my research has been focused on the evaluation stage of the algorithm

17. Conceptual Framework

18. Algorithm

19. Literature Review History Origiannly for adults
Meconium Aspiration- first to successful neonate
Dr Bartlett is the father of ECMO
ECMO is still a debatable topic in pediatrics and neonates- most pediatric hospitals use it in the US
Randomized trials of ECMO vrs non ECMO were considered by some non ethical due to the patients not recieveing ecmo where not receiving the best care. The patients were then placed on ECMO and the study invalid.

20. Literature Review Coagulation Management on ECMO
Gold standard- ACT- activated partial thromboplastin
Anticoagulant of choice- unfractionated heparin
Patients on ECMO only require partial coagulation because there is no large venous reservoir in the ECMO circuit like there is in the traditional heart-lung bypass machine. This is important when managing coagulation. The literature clearly states that the gold standard is checking ACT’s and maintaining them betwee for partial coagualation on ECMO. The literature does not state how to achieve this or how often to check ACT’s. The balance of anticoagulation and bleeding during ECMO is critical to patient survival through ECMO treatment. Failure to adequately anticoagulate the patient results in both coagulation factor and platelet consumption. The consumption of platelets and coagulation factors results in likely increase bleeding tendencies
The most common causes of morbidity and mortality on ECMO are bleeding and thrombosis. There is no specific test to verify how the UFH is working. It is up to the staff/clinicians to evaluate the assortment of tests and patient status changes to achieve a balanced pump and patient anticoagulation.

21. Literature Review-Complications on ECMO
Mechanical clots-
11,961 of neonates
2,270 pediatric
Hemorrhagic complications
7,893 neonatal
3,139 pediatric
Other-tamponade, pulmonary hemorrhage, CNS infarction or limb Ischemia
5,392 neonates
1,292 pediatric

22. Methods
Developed the algorithm for coagulation and had it reviewed by the ECMO medical director, Dr. Jeff DeMare
Introduced the algorithm in March 2012 to the ECMO team
Retrospective chart review-convenience sample
20 patients prior to algorithm implemented
20 patients post algorithm implemented
The setting for this study will be a large, children’s hospital in Midwest United States. This study is focused on a pediatric patient population from birth to 19 years old that receive ECMO therapy during their hospitalization. The inclusion criteria will be all patients that receive ECMO therapy during the time frame of the study.
There are no validity or reliability studies done on this algorithm.

23. Results
There was no detectable association between having at least one pump complication and algorithm use. Although, based on this sample the odds of having at least one pump complication given the algorithm was followed are 2.5 times greater than if the algorithm was not used.

24. There was no detectable association between having bleeding complication and algorithm use. Based on this sample the odds of having a bleeding complication given the algorithm was followed are 1.1 times greater than if the algorithm was not used. This is comparing 1.1 to 1; so therefor there is no association here.
There is no association between developing a clotting complication and algorithm use.

25. The patients on ecmo for the post 20 patients had an increase in hours on ECMO which increases the risk for complication.
It is highly unlikely that the algorithm use had an effect on the total hours a patient is on ECMO. The increase in hours on pump is more likely due to the severity of illness of the patients.

26. Of the remaining comparisons, only the number of atryn boluses was significantly different between the algorithm vs no algorithm groups. With the median number of boluses for algorithm patients being higher than the non-algorithm patients.
It is likely that the algorithm use had an effect and increased the amount of boluses the patients received in order to reach a partially coagulated state.

27. Interesting Run Information
Pre Algorithm Group
Run 13 was missing 24 hours of data from the records I reviewed
Post Algorithm Group
Run 30,31,32 were all the same patient with three different runs
During all three runs the patient had a stable Grade 1 intraventricular hemorrhage prior to and post initiation of ECMO
The first time the patient went on pump was because the patient was unsuccessful in coming of the OR heart lung bypass machine after 14 hours of heart surgery. Run 2 for this patient was due to borderline hemodynamic failure and run three was unable to come of bypass in the OR after the 2nd cardiothoracic surgery.

28. Limitations of the Study
There are no validity or reliability studies done on this algorithm.
It is a convenience sample, every patient is managed slightly differently when it comes to coagulation, medical management plays a role in coagulation status.

29. Other Factors to Consider
Atryn and thrombate
Direct infusion into pump
Looking at a slightly different timeline of patients
Atryn and thrombate are antithrombin III replacements

30. Future Implications
Consider evaluation of severity of illness of patient
Include more of the patients in the study
Validity and reliability studies on the algorithm
This is meant to be an educational tool for new specialist to follow as they manage partial coagualtion

31. References
Bartlett, R. H. (2005). Extracorporeal life support: history and new directions. American Society of Artificial Internal Organs, 10,
Chan, A., Leaker, M., & Burrows, F. (1997). Coagulation and fibrinolytic profile of paediatric patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass. Thromb Haemost, 77,
Extracorporeal Life Support Organization. (January 2014).
Froehlich, C. (2010). Pediatric ECMO: Old dog or new trick? Retrieved from groundrounds/handouts/

32. References
Gruenwald, C., DeSouza, V., Chan, A., & Andrew, M. (2000). Whole blood heparin concentration do not correlate with plasma anti-factor Xa heparin concentrations in pediatric patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass [Entire issue]. Perfusion, 15
Niebler, R. A., Christensen, M., Berens, R., Wellner, H., Mikhailov, T., & Tweddell, J. (2011). Antithrombin replacement during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Artificial Organs, 35,
Rais-Bahrami, K., & Short, B. L. (2000). The current status of neonatal Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation. Seminars in Perinatology, 24,
Rosswurm, M., & Larrabee, J. H. (1999). A model for change for evidence based practice. Immage: Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 31,

33. References
Sievert, A., Uber, W., Laws, S., & Cochran, J. (2010). Improvement in long-term ECMO by detailed monitoring of anticoagulation: a case report. Perfusion, 26(1),
Wolfson, P. J. (2003, September 3). The development and use of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in neonates. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, 76,

34. THANK YOU to : Dr. Jeff DeMare Committee members- Lori Rubarth, Meghan Potthoff, Lindsay Iverson Statistician: Chris Wichman

35. Questions?