About this episode
Dr. Sergio Zanotti discusses ECMO emergencies with Dr. Waqas Akhtar, focusing on cardiac arrest and team response.
In this episode, Dr. Sergio Zanotti discusses a structured approach to ECMO emergencies, focusing on recognizing cardiac arrest, organizing the team response, and early ECMO troubleshooting to support key life-saving interventions. He is joined by Dr. Waqas Akhtar, a consultant at Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trustin the United Kingdom. Dr. Akhtar completed full postgraduate certification in Cardiology, Intensive Care & General Internal Medicine, with a particular interest in cardiogenic shock, heart transplantation, and mechanical circulatory support Additional resources: British societies guideline on the management of emergencies in patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Waqas Akhtar, et al. Intensive Care Med 2025: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41051555/ UK multisociety consensus statement on the emergency and resuscitation of patients with left-sided Impella support. Waqas Akhtar, et al. BMJ Journals 2026: https://heart.bmj.com/content/early/2025/12/17/heartjnl-2025-326896 Books mentioned in this episode: His Dark Materials Series: The Golden Compass; The Subtle Knife; The Amber Spyglass: https://bit.ly/4cmSXgB
People in this episode
Host: Dr. Sergio Zanotti
Guest: Dr. Waqas Akhtar
Topics covered
- ECMO emergencies
- cardiac arrest
- team response
- early ECMO troubleshooting
- life-saving interventions
Keywords
- ECMO
- cardiac arrest
- team response
- troubleshooting
- life-saving interventions
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
Books & works: His Dark Materials Series, The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass
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