Life-saving ECMO machine research receives major funding boost

The Alfred will take the Victorian lead in the multi-centre $1 million study announced by Federal Minister for Health Mark Butler during a visit to the hospital’s intensive care unit.

An ECMO machine takes over from a critically ill patient’s lungs and heart when their own organs cannot function, by circulating blood through a machine outside their bodies.

The machine is typically only used on a patient for an average of fewer than 10 days, as a last-ditch treatment option.

But head of The Alfred’s ECMO program A/Prof Vincent Pellegrino said a deeper understanding of the technology was developed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The motto we developed was just get us to 35 days, which we found to be a major landmark in the treatment,” he said.

“We only lost one patient out of 64 who had been on the machine for a minimum of 35 days.”

The $999,779 Federal Government research grant, announced by on National Heart Day by Minister Butler, will allow specialists from The Alfred and other centre to further expand on recent lessons.

The ‘PRecision Ecmo in CardIogenic Shock Evaluation: PRECISE Study’ will be led by Monash University, in collaboration with Alfred Health, St Vincent's Hospital Sydney, the University of Sydney, and The University of Queensland’s Critical Care Research Group. It will recruit 236 patients to investigate whether biomarkers can better identify patients who will receive the best long-term benefit from ECMO.

One person who knows the benefits of ECMO more than most is Dean Barber.

The 53-year-old required the machine after suffering a heart attack while at work.

“I wouldn’t be here today without ECMO, I can say that pretty confidently,” Dean said.

“I’m incredibly lucky that when I had the heart attack I was close enough to a hospital with these machines.

“It’s made me realise how lucky I am – I used to be a smoker but I’ve given that away and I’m happy to be spending quality time with my young kids.”