Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) affects over 25,000 Australians each year and only 1 in 10 survive. Recently, the use of a mini-heart lung bypass machine (ECMO) during prolonged cardiac arrest (ECPR) has been shown to improve survival in selected patients. ECPR for OHCA is very promising but it is resource intensive, management of patients once on ECMO is complicated and current patient access to ECPR is limited.
My research aims to address these challenges by 1) identifying new prognostic markers for ECPR patients to predict outcomes thereby informing clinicians and families 2) Completing traffic and spatial modeling throughout Australia to identify the best system to deliver ECPR to the most patients 3) Trial new ways to deliver ECPR to more Australians - pre-hospital ECPR 4) Completing a study comparing different anticoagulation studies when on ECMO – to avoid complications and improve patient outcomes.
Taken together my project seeks to improve access to and management of ECPR for people in cardiac arrest.
Last updated12 March 2024