Mechanical Life Support - emergency resuscitation in ECMO, Impella & LVAD

1.15pm – 1.45pm BST, 2 July 2026 ‐ 30 mins

Breakout session

Mechanical circulatory support devices including implantable left ventricular assist devices (LVADs), percutaneous microaxial pumps such as Impella, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) are increasingly deployed in the management of advanced heart failure and cardiogenic shock. Each modality presents distinct physiological and emergency management challenges that are not fully addressed by traditional advanced life support (ALS) algorithms. Recent UK multisociety guidance documents synthesises expert consensus and evidence to provide tailored, structured algorithms and recommendations for the recognition and acute management of emergencies in patients supported with LVADs, Impella devices, and ECMO. These represent a significant advancement in preparing critical care teams to respond effectively across a spectrum of high-acuity scenarios.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Differentiate device-specific physiology and failure modes that complicate emergency assessment and management of LVAD, Impella, and ECMO patients compared with standard circulatory arrest scenarios.
• Apply the key principles of the new UK emergency guideline, including recognition of inadequate circulation and need for CPR, tailored recognition of device dysfunction and important to consider time-critical interventions
• Outline practical team structures and cognitive strategies for coordinating patient-focused and device-focused responses during high-intensity emergencies.

Chair: Christopher Bourdeaux

Speakers

Dr Waqas Akhtar

Consultant, Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

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Chris Bourdeaux

Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine and Chief Clinical Information Officer, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust

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Dr Waqas Akhtar

Consultant, Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

Waqas is a consultant at Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and completed full postgraduate certification in Cardiology, Intensive Care & General Internal Medicine with a particular interest in cardiogenic shock, heart transplantation and mechanical circulatory support. He holds Level 2 Transthoracic Echocardiography, Transoesophageal Echocardiography, Cardiac Magnetic Resonance and Cardiac Computed Tomography accreditation.

He developed the Mechanical Life Support (MLS) programme and extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation service at Harefield which won national Quality Improvement of the Year and Patient Safety & Education Training Award at the HSJ Patient Safety Awards. 

He was highly commended as Clinical Leader of the Year in 2022 & 2024 by the Health Service Journal for national roles including on the Board of Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine as Chair of the Intensivist in Training sub-committee and Academy of Medical Royal College's Council as Chair of Academy Resident Doctors Committee.

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Chris Bourdeaux

Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine and Chief Clinical Information Officer, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust

Chris Bourdeaux is a consultant in intensive care medicine and clinical director of critical care at University Hospitals Bristol & Weston NHS Foundation Trust. He leads a team of data scientists, NHS data analysts, and clinicians conducting research on routinely collected intensive care data.