HCSS Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) specialist/RRT

About the role

The ECMO Specialist (ES) is a licensed allied health care professional with a strong clinical background in neonatal, pediatric and/or adult critical care and advanced cardiopulmonary support. The ES has ≥ 2 years ICU experience or completion of an accredited cardiovascular perfusion training program. The ES is responsible for the coordination of clinical care for patients requiring the support of extracorporeal life support (ECLS) & mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices under the direction & supervision of credentialed ECMO and advanced heart failure physicians.

Responsibilities

• Participates in monthly interdisciplinary ECMO case reviews and in-services to share information and determine appropriateness of patient care plans.
• Supports ECMO team research through the collection of ECMO-related data, preparation, and presentation of research abstracts and/or other documentation.
• Utilizes the ECMO flow sheet to maintain ongoing complete and detailed documentation of patient history and the amount of blood and other fluids administered and any complications that may occur.
• Provides family/parental education and reinforces medical counseling initiated by the ECMO physician.
• Provides a clear and concise end of shift report for the oncoming ECMO Specialist regarding machine settings, patient status, and patient care plans.

Technical Specialist

• Patient Identification: Collaborates with multidisciplinary physician teams to identify patients indicated for ECLS or MCS therapies and guides care team to adhere to indications and contraindications as found in hospital guidelines and policies.
• Initiation of Support: Coordinates & collaborates with multidisciplinary care team to prepare patient and environment for the timely and safe initiation of ECLS or MCS support.
• Patient Management & Monitoring on Support: Assess and manage patient clinical needs, including but not limited to patient assessment, hemodynamic monitoring, NIRS, blood gas interpretation, laboratory results, fluid balance, nutrition, respiratory support, neurologic status, infection control, sedation, pain management, hematology, and cardiac function.
• Communication: Collaborates with the ECMO physician and other health care providers involved in the management of the patient to coordinate all tests and evaluations (e.g. head and cardiac ultrasounds and EEGs) and provide care in accordance with the patient’s individualized care plan.
• Recommends modifications in patient management to the ECMO physician based on the relationship between patient diagnosis and ECMO circuit and/or lab parameters.
• Evaluates chest x-rays for endotracheal tube, ECMO cannula, or MCS device position & placement.
• Extracorporeal VAD Management: Assist the physician during insertion of extracorporeal VAD devices; manage and troubleshoot equipment issues such as pump failures or circuit occlusions; monitor and optimize patient hemodynamics (e.g., flow rates, pressure support) and anticoagulation strategies to prevent thrombosis or bleeding; coordinate discontinuation and removal processes, ensuring safe weaning and device explanation.
• Percutaneously Inserted VAD Management: Assist the physician during percutaneous insertion; manage and troubleshoot device-specific issues like position migration or suction events; assess patient hemodynamics and anticoagulation protocols; oversee discontinuation, including safe removal and post-removal monitoring.
• Implanted VAD Management: Assist the physician & VAD coordinator during surgical implantation; manage and troubleshoot equipment such as driveline issues or pump thrombosis; evaluate and fine-tune patient hemodynamics and long-term anticoagulation strategies; facilitate discontinuation through explanation or transition to other therapies, following the guidance of the VAD coordinator.
• ECLS Circuit Priming and Initiation: Prepare and prime ECLS circuits, including pumps, oxygenators, heat exchangers, shunt lines and associated components, ensuring sterility and functionality prior to patient connection.
• ECLS Circuit Blood Priming: Safely blood primes ECMO circuits for patients as indicated by department guidelines, policies or as requested by cannulating ECMO physician.
• Maintains competency in strategies to anticoagulate, buffer, reverse citrate, wash, & hemoconcentrate blood components added to the circuit.
• Evaluate circuit gasses and ECMO Circuit Maintenance: Continuously monitor and maintain ECMO circuit integrity, including adjusting blood flow rates, monitoring pressure gradients, to prevent complications like hemolysis or clot formation.
• ECMO Circuit Evaluation: Using in-line tools and blood gas analyses to calculate metrics such as oxygen consumption (VO2), oxygen delivery (DO2), oxygen transfer rate, recirculation & sweep gas adjustment rate.
• ECMO Circuit Troubleshooting: Identify and resolve issues such as circuit leaks, component failures, or suboptimal performance, including elective or emergent component changes when indicated.
• Anticoagulation Management on ECMO: Monitor and adjust anticoagulation levels to balance the risk of circuit thrombosis and patient hemostasis.
• Weaning and Decannulation from ECMO: Follow guidelines for gradual weaning, assessing patient readiness, and assisting in safe decannulation procedures.
• Team Collaboration and Transport: Participate in daily rounds, case reviews, and ECMO transport (in-hospital or inter-facility), ensuring secure patient handling and circuit integrity.
• Education and Quality Improvement: Contribute to staff training, continuing education, critical incident reviews, and tracking performance indicators (e.g., bleeding events), supporting ECMO program’s quality improvement initiatives.

Major Duties / Critical Tasks

• Collaborates with multidisciplinary physician teams to identify patients indicated for ECLS or MCS therapies and guides care team to adhere to indications and contraindications as found in hospital guidelines and policies.
• Coordinates & collaborates with multidisciplinary care team to prepare patient and environment for the timely and safe initiation of ECLS or MCS support.
• Assists in the insertion of extracorporeal VAD devices; manages and troubleshoots equipment issues such as pump failures or circuit occlusions; monitors and optimizes patient hemodynamics (e.g., flow rates, pressure support) and anticoagulation strategies to prevent thrombosis or bleeding; coordinates discontinuation and removal processes, ensuring safe weaning and device explanation.
• Assists in the percutaneous insertion of percutaneously inserted VAD devices; manages and troubleshoots device-specific issues like position migration or suction events; assesses patient hemodynamics and anticoagulation protocols; oversees discontinuation, including safe removal and post-removal monitoring.
• Assists in the surgical implantation of implanted VAD devices; manages and troubleshoots equipment such as driveline issues or pump thrombosis; evaluates and fine-tunes patient hemodynamics and long-term anticoagulation strategies; facilitates discontinuation through explanation or transition to other therapies, following the guidance of the VAD coordinator.
• Prepares and primes ECLS circuits, including pumps, oxygenators, heat exchangers, shunt lines and associated components, ensuring sterility and functionality prior to patient connection.
• Blood primes ECMO circuits for patients as indicated by department guidelines, policies or as requested by cannulating ECMO physician.
• Maintains competency in strategies to anticoagulate, buffer, reverse citrate, wash, & hemoconcentrate blood components added to the circuit.
• Evaluates circuit gasses and ECMO Circuit Maintenance: Continuously monitor and maintain ECMO circuit integrity, including adjusting blood flow rates, monitoring pressure gradients, to prevent complications like hemolysis or clot formation.
• Calculates metrics such as oxygen consumption (VO2), oxygen delivery (DO2), oxygen transfer rate, recirculation & sweep gas adjustment rate.
• Identifies and resolves issues such as circuit leaks, component failures, or suboptimal performance, including elective or emergent component changes when indicated.
• Maintains anticoagulation levels to balance the risk of circuit thrombosis and patient hemostasis.
• Follows guidelines for gradual weaning, assessing patient readiness, and assisting in safe decannulation procedures.
• Participates in daily rounds, case reviews, and ECMO transport (in-hospital or inter-facility), ensuring secure patient handling and circuit integrity.
• Contributes to staff training, continuing education, critical incident reviews, and tracking performance indicators (e.g., bleeding events), supporting ECMO program’s quality improvement initiatives.