A meta-analysis by Chen et al in 2008 compared the survival of patients placed on ECPR to treatment with in-hospital resuscitation CPR/ACLS. Probably none of the ECPR patients received a formalized reperfusion strategy of hypothermia, hemodilution and hypocalcemia. However the results were still superior to CPR. If a uniform reperfusion strategy can be widely adopted, the potential for in-hospital survival could be greatly improved. Even cardiac arrest CPR patients presenting out-of-hospital can be cooled and hemodiluted during transport to the emergency room where a surgeon and perfusionist could be waiting to implement a successful reperfusion strategy using ECPR if conventional resuscitation efforts fail.
Perfusion Theory is an educational platform for the Oxygen Pressure Field Theory (OPFT). August Krogh’s theoretical concept of the oxygen pressure field is explained and then applied to clinical applications in perfusion practice.