Delays in mechanical circulatory support initiation, in particular extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), can exceed an hour while awaiting a specialized shock team. Delays can negatively impact patient outcomes.¹ To address this, a quaternary medical center cardiac catheterization laboratory staff and simulation department collaborated on an education and future state project. The project was reviewed by institutional review board and determined oversight was not required. The team redesigned the workflow and education to empower the in-house 24/7 cardiac catheterization laboratory team to function as the shock team, thereby reducing the wait for additional resources, improving staffing efficiency, and decreasing patient care delays.

The goal of the education was to develop and enhance interdisciplinary teams’ skills in initiating ECMO in the catheterization laboratory by utilizing a rapid cycle deliberate practice simulation methodology. The organization’s simulation team collaborated with catheterization laboratory team, cardiovascular surgeon, and perfusionist to create an accurate pelvic vasculature model using ballistic gel, pelvic mold, and standard tubing. Based on this collaboration, the simulation team developed a low-fidelity percutaneous pelvic task trainer model, targeted at training for ECMO cannulation and circuit setup training. The Society for Simulation Healthcare Guidelines² and task training literature³ guided simulation and task trainer development. The model was created to replicate a realistic patient setup, allowing the team to practice in a real-world, in-situ environment with their resources, and standard staffing structure.