Impact of the location of the initial admitting intensive care unit on the delivery of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in Australia and New Zealand

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a method of life support provided in a limited number of (typically centralised) intensive care units (ICUs) which may lead to inequity in the delivery of ECMO. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all ICU admissions in Australia and New Zealand reported to the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society Adult Patient Database between 2018 and 2022. We performed descriptive and propensity-matched analyses to determine how healthcare jurisdiction, remoteness, and initial admitting hospital type (based on ECMO capability) affected the chance of receiving ECMO. There were 703,529 patients at 199 hospitals who met inclusion criteria, of whom 1654 (0.2%) received ECMO. After propensity matching, patients had a reduced odds of receiving ECMO if admitted in the Australian Capital Territory (odds ratio (OR) 0.54, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.34 to 0.86), New Zealand (OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.26 to 0.67), Northern Territory (OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.1 to 0.86), Queensland (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.63) or Western Australia (OR 0.46, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.62) compared with New South Wales. Patients from Outer Regional areas were less likely to receive ECMO than those residing in a Major City (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.63 to 0.94). Initial admission in a non-ECMO centre was associated with reduced odds of receiving ECMO (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.52 to 0.69), whilst initial admission in a Major ECMO centre was associated with increased odds of receiving ECMO (OR 2.03, 95% CI 1.78 to 2.31), compared with Minor ECMO centres. Our study suggests there is inequity in the delivery of ECMO in Australia and New Zealand, which should inform policy and planning for ECMO provision throughout the region.