Both the PLS and HLS ECMO circuits are used at The Alfred ICU.  Whenever a PLS circuit is used, a new one must be primed by a member of the ECMO team as there always need to be 2 primed circuits available in the department for urgent circuit changes, E-CPR and retrievals.

This short video reviews the sterile and meticulous process that is followed when priming the PLS circuit.  It will make a good refresher if you’re about to prime a circuit but haven’t done it for a while.

Remember that processes and policies elsewhere may be different so you should always follow your local procedure if you’re not at The Alfred.

Resources

Here is the transcript of the video

• Alfred PLS Priming Video Script

And here is a link to the Alfred ICU priming guideline;

• ECMO Set Up: Priming guide

And the Alfred ICU ECMO guidelines

• Alfred ICU ECMO Guideline

And finally here are some FOAMed ECMO resources

• edecmo.org: prime time prepping, ECMO circuit action
• Intensive: Cardiogenic Shock & Circulatory Support Devices SDL