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Cardiac arrest
ECPR for refractory OHCA in Germany
Landscape of Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Germany. A Nationwide Retrospective Study
Prehospital Emergency Care · Added 27 July 2026
Between 2018 and 2023, ECPR was used for 2.9% of refractory OHCA cases admitted to hospitals in Germany.
- Study type
- Cohort
- Design
- Nationwide retrospective observational study
- Participants
- 27,056 adults admitted with refractory OHCA; 785 received ECPR
- Main finding
- ECPR used in 2.9% of cases, rising from 1.8% (2018) to 4.1% (2023); survival 11.3% without vs 11.8% with ECPR (not significant); median 3 annual cases per ECPR centre
- Caveat
- Retrospective administrative data; no adjustment for selection bias in who received ECPR; German system context
- Bottom line
- Context only
Learning goal
Understand how patient selection and system capacity shape outcomes when ECPR is considered for refractory out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
More
- Topic: Cardiac arrest
- Daily scan: 27 July 2026
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