• Cardiogenic shock or acute myocardial infarction with circulatory collapse

• Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and other forms of severe respiratory failure

Since 2014, the National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch has established an “Interhospital ECMO Retrieval and Transport Center,” providing rapid ECMO support for critically ill patients in the Taoyuan–Hsinchu–Miaoli region through a small but highly efficient multidisciplinary team. The retrieval team consists of cardiovascular surgeons, critical care physicians, perfusionists, and dedicated nurses. Operating 24/7, the team can rapidly initiate evaluation, deploy to the referring hospital, perform on-site ECMO cannulation, and safely transport patients back to NTUH Hsin-Chu Branch. To date, more than 85 interhospital ECMO retrieval missions have been completed, with an overall survival rate of approximately 50%, comparable to NTUH Main Hospital and major international medical centers.

The team is distinguished by its high level of standardization and mobility, supported by a “small but excellent” SOP. Through integrated communication platforms, the team streamlines consultation, real-time interpretation, equipment readiness, and role assignment, enabling dispatch decisions and mobilization to be completed within 90–120 minutes. Covering a population of 1.5 million, the service assists regional hospitals lacking ECMO capability in managing the most critical cardiopulmonary failure cases, thereby strengthening regional critical-care capacity and promoting medical equity. In addition, the center integrates education and training, interhospital simulation exercises, and database-driven quality management to ensure safer and more reliable ECMO retrieval services.

• Streamlined “Small-but-Strong” SOP: Two–three member deployment team; dispatch decision completed within 90 minutes.

• Single-Window Activation: Integrated communication platform for consultation, interpretation, and resource coordination.

• Multidisciplinary Collaboration: Coordinated roles among cardiac surgery, critical care, perfusion, and nursing teams.

• High-Safety Transport Protocols: Standardized equipment checklist and rapid on-site stabilization strategies.

• Data-Driven Quality Management: Established ECMO retrieval database and routine case review.

• Regional Critical-Care Hub: Serves 1.5 million residents across South Taoyuan, Hsinchu, and Miaoli; overall survival rate ~50%.

• Annual ECMO retrieval cases increasing year by year

• Over 30 retrieval missions completed in the past three years

• Service region covering 2 million population

• Annual deployment frequency doubled compared with earlier years

• Inter-hospital consultation volume increasing annually

• Overall ECMO retrieval survival rate ~50%

• ECMO activation decision time reduced to within 90 minutes

• Transport success rate 100%

• Major complication rate below international benchmarks

• ECMO retrieval case volume increased by 80% from 2023 to 2025

• Zero adverse events during retrieval operations

• 100% compliance with equipment checklist execution

• No incidents of circuit dislodgement during transport

• 100% completion rate of routine case review and audit

• Referring hospitals report satisfaction levels exceeding 95%

• Partner hospitals consistently designate our center for ECMO transfers

• High family satisfaction with transport safety and post-transfer care

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• Establish a critical care transfer lifeline for the Taoyuan–Hsinchu–Miaoli region, shortening time-to-care for severely ill patients and enhancing regional healthcare equity.

• ECMO retrieval rescue: enables hospitals without ECMO capability to rapidly upgrade their resuscitation capacity and avoid missing the golden therapeutic window.

• Standardized transfer protocols adopted by regional hospitals, improving the efficiency and safety of inter-hospital referrals.

• After integration with the Critical Care Center, survival outcomes and overall quality of care for severe cases have significantly improved.