Society of Thoracic Surgeons invites members of WVU ECMO team to present at national conference

A team of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) specialists from the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute (HVI) was invited to conduct a workshop on the process of mobilizing ECMO patients at the 2024 Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Perioperative and Critical Care Conference held in Philadelphia recently.

Kari A. DiVito, PT, DPT, CCS, cardiovascular and pulmonary specialized physical therapist in the Rehabilitation Services department at WVU Medicine J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital, said providing rehabilitation services that include active participation by the patient is relatively rare in this population due to fear that catastrophic events will occur if the patient gets out of their hospital bed in such a critical state.

“Our team debunked these myths and fears at this conference and demonstrated how such a feat can be completed, as it has been completed safely hundreds of times at our facility without a major adverse effect to the patient,” Dr. DiVito said.

Dr. DiVito said their ECMO program’s philosophy is “cannulate, extubate, ambulate,” placing a large focus on the benefits of out-of-bed activity and early involvement of the rehabilitation team even while the patient is in this critically ill state. By involving the rehab team early, Dr. DiVito said the program has seen drastic results – 60 percent of the population cannulated for ECMO during the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, were mobilizing safely enough when ready for discharge that they returned directly home, whereas the international average of these patients who immediately return home is 30 percent.

The results led Dr. DiVito to publish the first existing mobility guidelines for this patient population, describing how these patients can be safely rehabilitated. She and J. Awori Hayanga, MD, MPH, FACS, director of the ECMO program at the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute, presented the information to attendees at the conference, and Dr. DiVito and other interdisciplinary team members provided a demonstration with a simulated patient of what a typical physical therapy session may look like, including ambulation.

Dr. DiVito said their demonstration was met with much enthusiasm from the audience, with many people asking for advice on building early rehabilitation programs at their own facilities.

Along with Drs. Hayanga and DiVito, members of the team included Chase Pelaez, RT, ECMO specialist; Tyson Micciche, BSN, RN, ECMO specialist; Jamye Schuster, acute nurse practitioner (ACNP); Orlando Carr, respiratory therapist (RT); and Logan Powroznik, BSN, RN, critical care registered nurse (CCRN).