ECPR Prague School 2025

“Refractory cardiac arrest and ECPR – evidence enough?”

Dear friends and colleagues,

several landmark trials have been published in recent years on mechanical cardiac support. Mostly, unfortunately, negative or neutral. But this is not the case for extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation - ECPR!

Refractory cardiac arrest treated by ECPR remains the challenge for the chain of survival, still, significant steps have been undertaken which need to be applauded. Evidence has been generated in past couple years and American Heart Association guidelines have reflected that with a recommendation for ECPR in refractory cardiac arrest. European guidelines are under construction (do not tell, but believe me :-).

Despite all above, evidence remains controversial. Nonetheless, attractive enough, ECPR has been adopted in many centers to potentially save lives.

Exciting new information are being generated in the field of cardiac arrest and advanced cardiogenic shock – as these two entities are a continuum, not separate events. They intersect and treatments are frequently overlapping, including use of mechanical devices.

Therefore, I dare to invite you to Prague to discuss ECPR, cardiogenic shock and all related issues in detail, thoroughly and comprehensively as we do since past several years.

This year, as always, a distinguished faculty is expected and will guide you through ECPR from A to Z.

Yours,