Page 48 - ANZCP Gazette APRIL 2022

each with us to learn Adult Perfusion.This is the first-time a collaboration between two units has happened, giving trainees more exposure and experience in Adult Perfusion.
In summary, we learned a lot with our ECMO experience during the pandemic. VV-ECMO is a long-term support - mainly single organ failure - that takes a lot of resources including many trips to CT, multiple changes of membrane oxygenators, and the changing of arterial cannula to venous cannula to improve drainage. We also noticed that weaning from ECMO was very slow for most of our patients. We learned
a lot by troubleshooting and collaborating with St. Vincent’s Hospital and The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.
We would like to acknowledge the generosity and kindness of our colleagues in the perfusion profession from different hospitals, who came to our rescue during this challenging time of the pandemic including St Vincent’s Hospital, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Blacktown Hospital, St. George Hospital, Sydney Adventist Hospital, Prince of Wales Hospital, Westmead Private and Norwest Private Hospital.
Patient awake whilst on ECMO
Patient retrieval from Westmead Hospital to St Vincent’s Hospital
(L-R) Ray Miraziz (Chief Perfusionist), Monique Brouwer & Grace Agbulos performed the first case at the new K3 Building of Westmead Hospital
Triple ECMO oxygenator
setup by Rona Steel
Grace Agbulos and Adam Roshan – perfusionist from St Vincent’s Hospital during a retrieval of an ECMO patient from Westmead Hospital
Left photo: March 2020 - first ever Covid-19 patient on ECMO in Australia (42 days on ECMO), discharged from ICU after 81 days. Right photo: December 2020 – patient with our ECMO Specialists came back for a visit and joined Cardiac Operating Suite’s Christmas Party
Alistair Sinden, Trainee Perfusionist with Monique Brouwer supervising
Andrew Rowan – Trainee Perfusionist
45 APRIL 2022 | www.anzcp.org