A primer on priming the PLS ECMO Circuit

Author: David Anderson

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

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

And the Alfred ICU ECMO guidelines

And finally here are some FOAMed ECMO resources

Video: How to use the LUCAS 2

Author: A/Prof Chris Nickson

Last week we featured an instructional video describing how to use the Autopulse. At The Alfred we also have access to a LUCAS 2 mechanical CPR device, which is used preferentially for patients who have in-hospital arrests and need to be taken straight to the cath lab.

More information on instructions for use are available from the manufacturer’s website.

Video: How to use the Autopulse

At The Alfred we typically use the Autopulse for mechanical CPR during prolonged cardiac arrest, to facilitate initiation of E-CPR. In particular, this device is used as part of the CHEER trial as discussed in Steve Bernard on ECMO-CPR.

This is a useful free online video demonstrating the features and use of the Autopulse. It is well worth watching if you are unfamiliar with the device or need a refresher:

Note that the video doesn’t demonstrate how to change the battery – it is well worth practicing this as it isn’t always straightforward…

More information on instructions for use are available from the manufacturer’s website.