Pre-hospital ECPR: Pushing the Boundaries of Resuscitation with Nikki Hewitt

In this episode, Alec Wilding is joined by Nikki Hewitt, a
clinician who has been among the first Paramedics in the United
Kingdom to deliver pre-hospital ECMO as part of London’s Air
Ambulance (LAA), Endovascular Cardiac Arrest Team, known as
ECAT. This represents one of the most significant steps forward
in resuscitation science within the pre-hospital environment, and
Nikki has been at the centre of that evolution.


During the conversation, Nikki guides us through the evidence
base underpinning ECPR, exploring what we currently know, what
remains uncertain, and how ongoing research continues to shape
clinical decision-making. She also takes us inside the
operational structure of the ECAT model, how the team was
established, what it takes to deliver ECMO in the field, and the
training, skill sets, and logistics required to make it viable
outside the hospital walls.


Nikki also shares her perspective on where ECPR is heading: The
challenges, the opportunities, and what the future of advanced
pre-hospital cardiac arrest care may look like as technology,
capability, and evidence continue to advance. It is a fascinating
area of practice, and Nikki brings frontline insight, experience,
and clarity to a topic that is reshaping the conversation around
survivability in cardiac arrest.





This Podcast is sponsored by World Extreme
Medicine.


World Extreme Medicine provides internationally recognised
education for clinicians and operators working in pre-hospital,
remote, expedition, humanitarian, and high-risk environments.
Their programmes focus on practical, experience-led learning,
equipping professionals with the skills to make sound clinical
and operational decisions when resources are limited, evacuation
is delayed, and conditions are extreme.


With courses covering expedition and wilderness medicine, hostile
environments, dive medicine, human performance, leadership, and
austere care, World Extreme Medicine brings together a global
faculty with real-world experience from some of the most
challenging settings on earth. To explore courses, free
educational resources, and upcoming webinars, visit:
⁠www.worldextrememedicine.com