Rhythm check three – A2BCDE3! – A new acronym to select eligible patients for extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (eCPR)

Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (eCPR) is an ultra-invasive approach for the treatment of highly selected patients in refractory cardiac arrest (RCA).

As only little data regarding the ideal selection criteria exists, it is recommended to allocate patients with the highest chances of survival.

The precise selection of patients is time critical and crucial for a successful eCPR program.

As eligible patients are relatively rare, it is essential that paramedics recognize them early.

Prehospital staff is trained in the use of acronyms to recall facts (e.g. DOPES, VITAMINS, SAMPLE, …).

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