Recommendations From the Professional Advisory Committee on Nursing Practice in the Care of ECMO-Supported Patients.

BACKGROUND: By July 2020, the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization had documented more than 133 000 extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) implementations, with more than 61 000 implementations in adult patients. No clear policies regarding the authority and responsibility of nursing staff in the treatment of ECMO-supported patients are currently available. OBJECTIVE: To formulate evidence-based recommendations for nursing care of ECMO-supported patients. METHODS: The National Head Nurse's office and the Professional Guidelines Department in the Nursing Division of Israel's Ministry of Health formed the Professional Advisory Committee on Nursing Practice in the Care of ECMO-Supported Patients to address concerns regarding the current state of professional nursing practice in the care of these patients. The Professional Advisory Committee brought together 15 senior Israeli ECMO nursing experts who explored the potential of registered nurses in caring for ECMO-supported patients, considered the competencies of nurses treating ECMO-supported patients, discussed training programs and health care policy, and examined nursing outcomes for quality assurance. RESULTS: The Professional Advisory Committee formulated recommendations regarding the following priority issues: (1) determining boundaries of professional authority and nurses' responsibilities, including designated activities for different professional ranks of registered nurses; (2) providing appropriate content for the training programs offered, such as generic/basic, above-basic, and clinical specialization nursing programs; and (3) defining relevant quality measures for nursing treatment of ECMO-supported patients. CONCLUSIONS: Introducing international standards would ensure the safety and effectiveness of nursing care for ECMO-supported patients through quality and risk management and establishment of new evidence-based nursing practices.

Assessment of a noninvasive cerebral oxygenation monitor in patients with severe traumatic brain injury.

OBJECT: Development of a noninvasive monitor to assess cerebral oxygenation has long been a goal in neurocritical care. The authors evaluated the feasibility and utility of a noninvasive cerebral oxygenation monitor, the CerOx 3110, which uses near-infrared spectroscopy and ultrasound to measure regional cerebral tissue oxygenation in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), and compared measurements obtained using this device to those obtained using invasive cerebral monitoring. METHODS: Patients with severe TBI admitted to the intensive care unit at Hadassah-Hebrew University Hospital requiring intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring and advanced neuromonitoring were included in this study. The authors assessed 18 patients with severe TBI using the CerOx monitor and invasive advanced cerebral monitors. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 45.3 ± 23.7 years and the median Glasgow Coma Scale score on admission was 5 (interquartile range 3-7). Eight patients underwent unilateral decompressive hemicraniectomy and 1 patient underwent craniotomy. Sixteen patients underwent insertion of a jugular bulb venous catheter, and 18 patients underwent insertion of a Licox brain tissue oxygen monitor. The authors found a strong correlation (r = 0.60, p < 0.001) between the jugular bulb venous saturation from the venous blood gas and the CerOx measure of regional cerebral tissue saturation on the side ipsilateral to the catheter. A multivariate analysis revealed that among the physiological parameters of mean arterial blood pressure, ICP, brain tissue oxygen tension, and CerOx measurements on the ipsilateral and contralateral sides, only ipsilateral CerOx measurements were significantly correlated to jugular bulb venous saturation (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Measuring regional cerebral tissue oxygenation with the CerOx monitor in a noninvasive manner is feasible in patients with severe TBI in the neurointensive care unit. The correlation between the CerOx measurements and the jugular bulb venous measurements of oxygen saturation indicate that the CerOx may be able to provide an estimation of cerebral oxygenation status in a noninvasive manner.