ECMO Retrieval over the Mediterranean Sea: Extending Hospital Arms.

The retrieval and transport of patients from peripheral hospitals to high volume extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) centers aims to reduce complications and improve survival. In Sicily (Italy), our institute houses a mobile ECMO team that serves a population of around 10 million people for a vast area in southern Italy and Malta. This observational, descriptive study includes all patients that required veno-venous (V-V) ECMO and transport by a mobile team between October 2009 and May 2020.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for graft failure after heart transplantation: a multidisciplinary approach to maximize weaning rate.

Objectives: Primary graft failure (PGF) after heart transplantation is a detrimental complication, and carries high morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to analyze the results of our multidisciplinary approach in supporting patients affected with PGF after heart transplantation.

Methods: Out of 114 consecutive patients receiving orthotopic heart transplantation between January 2006 and July 2013, 18 (15.