Patient mobilisation undergoing Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: a narrative review of the literature

Patients undergoing Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), whether veno-venous or veno-arterial, are often sedated and kept in a state of immobility due to the clinical instability, especially from a haemodynamic point of view, and the risk of decannulation that their movement may cause. However, studies on early mobilisation in other categories of critically ill patients show how this practice favours the recovery of maximum patient autonomy, respiratory and motor function, accelerates the weaning process from mechanical ventilation, and prevents other complications linked to immobility, thus promoting the patient's psychological well-being.