Ambulation in patients with peripheral veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and concomitant femoral intra-aortic balloon pump support.

Introduction: The mobilization and ambulation of patients with severe cardiogenic shock supported with peripheral veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (pVA-ECMO) and concomitant femoral intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) support is not well-described. This technical paper describes an ambulation protocol to prevent deconditioning in this critically ill patient population.

Methods: A protocol for the ambulation of patients with pVA-ECMO and concomitant IABP support was created in December 2022 and implemented at a single center.