Defining a national standard for ECMO emergency care

In a recent issue of Intensive Care Medicine, Waqas Akhtar and colleagues present a guideline on the management of cardiocirculatory emergencies in patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) [1]. This document combines a review of the current evidence with expert consensus, refined through a modified Delphi process and endorsed by eight United Kingdom (UK) professional societies spanning critical care, emergency medicine, anesthesia, cardiothoracic surgery, and cardiology. It represents the first concerted national effort to standardize ECMO emergency management—a crucial step for ensuring consistent, high-quality care in these complex and time-critical situations.