Pre-Recorded

Plenary Presentation

Mech Vent

The increasing incidence and innovative utilization of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has challenged the current paradigms regarding the extraordinary measures available to support, or even replace, basic biologic functions that sustain human life. Paradoxically, despite the ability of ECMO to act as a life-prolonging intervention while awaiting organ recovery and/or additional curative medical therapies, it potentially creates moral dilemmas in other cases. This session will apply a shared-decision making model to explore the clinical reasoning process and ethical considerations for the initiation, continuation, and cessation of ECMO in two challenging patient cases.

Develop a shared-decision-making model that educates physicians and providers from a variety of backgrounds about the clinical challenges inherent to the management of an ECMO patient.

Identify the ethical issues surrounding the initiation and discontinuation of ECMO in the critically ill patient.