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The following is a summary of “ECMO Survivors’ Reflections on Their ICU Experience and Recovery,” published in the October 2024 issue of Pediatrics by Hendrickson et al.
Pediatric critical care now focuses on understanding long-term outcomes for patients and families after intensive care unit (ICU) experiences.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to explore how pediatric survivors from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) recall their ICU experiences and recovery.
They conducted the qualitative analysis with semi-structured interviews of pediatric patients requiring extracorporeal support in the ICU from 2018 to 2023 (n=41). Patients were English-speaking, over 12 years old at the time of hospitalization, and able to communicate appropriately. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed for themes.
The results showed several themes related to cognitive, physical, and socioemotional experiences during and after hospitalization. The included awareness under sedation, sleep disturbances, communication difficulties, physical discomfort, and frustration with daily living limitations. Post-discharge, patients reported ongoing issues with memory, concentration, sleep, physical impairments, and emotional processing of illness and mortality.
They concluded that critical pediatric illness impacted cognitive, physical, and socioemotional outcomes, which had implications for patient care and recovery.
