Recommendations in Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Post Resuscitation Care Via An International, Modified Delphi Approach

The global adoption of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) for cardiac arrest is accelerating, reflecting its potential to improve outcomes in select patient populations. Although research has increasingly focused on patient selection criteria, there remains a critical lack of evidence to guide best practices in post-ECPR resuscitation management. This study aimed to identify key knowledge gaps and develop consensus-based recommendations to inform clinical decision-making in the post-ECPR setting.

An international, multidisciplinary steering committee comprising 11 ECPR experts and 1 survivor conducted a targeted literature review to identify key domains and gaps in post-ECPR care. Experts were recruited based on field impact and snowball sampling. A modified Delphi process was used, comprising 3 survey rounds. Consensus was defined a priori as ≥70% agreement or disagreement on Likert-scale statements.