Purpose or Case Report: The goal of this education exhibit is to develop an imaging strategy to safely image the patient on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) within the CT department focusing on scan protocols, define table movement required for high pitch table movement, communication and necessary emergency supplies.
Methods & Materials: At our institution the ECMO patients are only imaged on our main scanner due to the speed when using the hi-speed mode and spiral imaging. Also taken into account, is the size of the room which can accommodate the increased staff presence, as well as any additional equipment (ECMO circuit, IV pumps, CT power injector).Transporting the patient from cardiac intensive care unit to the CT scanner suite requires a high degree of communication between the CT technologist, staff and the ECMO team. Educational materials will be provided to the technologists and a flow chart created for communication and needs (scan time, IV required, roles). The main risk of imaging patients on ECMO by CT is decannulation, particularly on fast scanners when utilizing spiral imaging and/ or high pitch/fast scan mode. One of the methods to ensure patient safety is to create a worksheet with the CT table movement for fast scans, based on the protocol pitch, that would allow the technologists to safely move the patient in and out of the scanner, accounting for the significant table ramp up and ramp down when utilizing a high table pitch (fast scan). This will create awareness for the techs and it will ensure that all lines willreach the full table travel distance for the desired examination.
Results: Results of this education and training will ensure that the ECMO patient can be safely transported to the CT suite and imaged safely within the CT department while decreasing the risk of complications.
Conclusions: CT staff is better prepared to image the ECMO patient regardless of what type of scan the child was having. The communication and role definition became more effective and concise which resulted in the safe arrival and imaging of the patient. Staff is now able to determine maximum table movement in and out based on a vendor specific chart created for the scanner.