Efficacy of a Single Day Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Training Course for Critical Care Air Transport Team Eligible Personnel.

This article focuses on the development and evaluation of an accelerated extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) training course for U.S. Military Health System (MHS) critical care teams. ECMO is an advanced life-support technology used to treat respiratory and heart failure, including in combat casualties and COVID-19 patients, but few military personnel have formal ECMO training. Seventeen two-person teams (physician and nurse/respiratory therapist) completed a 5-hour course involving prerecorded lectures, hands-on practice with task trainers, and testing on a live swine model, including patient transport and telemedicine consultation. Results showed 100% success in initiating veno-arterial ECMO and 88% success in transitioning to veno-arterial-venous ECMO, with significant improvements in participants' knowledge and confidence; the addition of telemedicine and transport did not affect performance or procedure times. The study suggests that a brief, simulation-based ECMO course can effectively expand ECMO capability among military critical care teams, addressing operational challenges in providing timely ECMO care in deployed settings.