Standardized Therapies after ECMO Program (STEP); A Novel Approach to Pediatric post-ECMO Care

Background: The study objective was to characterize compliance with Standardized Therapy after ECMO Program (STEP), an intentional discharge pathway for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) survivors in a US pediatric hospital.  Methods: The program identified pediatric ECMO survivors before discharge, reviewed and requested appropriate consultations, educated families on ECMO sequelae, and sent ECMO summaries to pediatricians.Compliance with institutional post-ECMO guidelines was evaluated before and after STEP implementation.  Results: We identified 77 ECMO survivors to hospital discharge (36 [46.8%] before and 41 [53.2%] after STEP implementation). There was a significant increase in complete (38.8% .vs 74.2%, p < 0.001) and time-appropriate neurodevelopmental testing (71.4% vs. 95.6%, p = 0.03). Significant increase in inpatient evaluations by neurology (52.7% vs. 75.6%, p = 0.03) and audiology (66.7% vs. 87.8%, p = 0.02), and in referrals for outpatient audiology (66.6 vs. 95.1%, p = 0.002), physical therapy (P.T.) (63.8% vs. 95.1%, p = 0.001), occupational therapy (O.T.) (63.8% vs. 95.1%, p = 0.001) and speech-language pathology (S.L.P.) (55.5% vs. 95.1%, p < 0.001) were noted.  Conclusion: Implementing an intentional discharge pathway for pediatric ECMO survivors (STEP) successfully increases inpatient and outpatient compliance with hospital and Extracorporeal life support organization (ELSO) follow-up guidelines. It leads to timely and complete neurodevelopmental evaluation.