Helping ECMO Patients Heal: Resources for Practitioners
As healthcare professionals, we focus on the critical moments in the ICU, ensuring our patients survive the most dangerous and life-threatening situations. ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) is one of the most powerful life-saving interventions available, but the journey for survivors is far from over once they leave the hospital. This reality became clear to me after joining several ECMO survivor support groups earlier this year.
In August, I published an article titled “The Aftermath of ECMO: Beyond Survival,” where I shared my insights on the physical and psychological toll that ECMO survivors experience. While ECMO can save lives, it often leaves survivors facing ongoing challenges—physical complications like strokes and nerve damage and emotional struggles such as PTSD and anxiety.
Today, I’m excited to introduce a new AI-created podcast in which two speakers discuss my article in depth. They discuss the long-term impact of ECMO, the gaps in post-ECMO care, and the importance of support systems for survivors. It’s an honest conversation about the realities of recovery and a call to action for the healthcare community to extend its care beyond the ICU.
Whether you’re an ECMO survivor, a healthcare professional, or simply curious about what happens after life-saving interventions, this video is a must-watch. It reminds us that survival is only the beginning, and the healthcare community must do more to ensure survivors have the resources they need to heal truly.
To watch the podcast:
Read the original article: The Aftermath of ECMO: Beyond Survival
I’ve compiled a list of resources for ECMO survivors and those seeking support. These groups provide essential spaces for connection, understanding, and healing. Many also welcome ECMO practitioners to offer their expertise and support to survivors. By participating in several of these groups, I’ve gained deeper insights into not only what patients experience during their ECMO journey but also how I can improve as a practitioner.
Support Groups for ECMO Survivors:
Facebook: ECMO Support 710+ members
Facebook: ECMO adult survivors and Family Members 2300+ members
Facebook: ECMO Survivors! 3500+ members
Facebook: ECMO Support group for kids and Adults 580+ members
Facebook: Life As An Adult CDH & ECMO Survivor.... Keeping the Faith 350+ members
Facebook: ECMO Warriors - Post-ECMO Survivor group 230+ members
Facebook: ECMO Journey Support Group 830+ members
WhatsApp: ELSO ECMO Patients & Families 110+ members
Reddit: ECMO Survivors and Operators 380+ members
Zoom Meeting: ARDS Support Group This group meets every Tuesday at 7:00 PM Central and includes many members who were on ECMO. If you’d like to join, email Paula at pblonski@ardsalliance.org to receive the Zoom link.
Have Resources or Experiences to Share?
If you know of other valuable resources for ECMO survivors or have personal experiences helping ECMO patients recover, I’d love to hear from you! Please share your thoughts, links, or insights in the comments below. Let’s continue this important conversation and work together to improve the post-ECMO journey for both survivors and practitioners.
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Note: This article reflects my learning journey in ECMO and is intended for educational purposes only. It should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice or guidance. Always consult with qualified healthcare professionals for clinical decisions and patient care.
Other Links:
Follow me on LinkedIn: Jonathan B. Jung, RRT-NPS
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Acknowledgments:
I developed three custom GPTs, “AI ECMO Expert,” “ECMO Specialist Handover Practice,” and “Micro Definitions (MD-GPT),” for specialized research. These tools draw primarily from the ELSO Redbook (6th Edition), the ELSO Specialist Training Manual (4th Edition), various research papers, and articles. Additional research was supported by GPT-4o/o1, Claude 3.5 Sonnet/Opus, and Perplexity. Editing was performed with Grammarly. A.I. images and charts were created using Leonardo AI, DALL-E3 AI Image Generator, Microsoft Designer, and Adobe Express. Content for all articles sourced from Extracorporeal Life Support: The ELSO Red Book, 6th Edition, and ECMO Specialist Training Manual, 4th Edition.