Molly Umansky
Pronouns: she/her
Research Mentor(s): Brianna Spencer
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Pediatric Surgery Section / Medicine
Program: UROP
Session: Session 1 (9:00am – 9:50am)
Authors: Madeline Block, Molly Umansky, Irene Carter, Dimitra Lotakis, Brianna Spencer, Samir Gadepalli
Abstract
Pediatric patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) are an extremely high risk population of patients in the hospital whose risk is increased when a chest tube is also needed for treatment. While ECMO is one of the greatest medical advancements of the 21st century, complications are all too common for pediatric patients and commonly lead to unfavorable outcomes and higher mortality rates. Despite substantial research on ECMO and chest tubes separately, there is limited knowledge available on patients who have chest tubes while on ECMO. This gap in research is even wider for the subset of pediatric patients. Closing this gap, even slightly, will provide healthcare workers with more information about this specific subset of patients, allowing them to make more informed decisions when treating their patients. Prior to this study, researchers have identified a correlation between chest tube complications and poor ECMO outcomes, however the specific factors leading to the causation of this correlational relationship are actively being discovered through our research. This study retrospectively looks at pediatric patients who were treated at University of Michigan’s Mott’s Pediatric Hospital between the years of 2014 and 2022. Specific information collected from the patient’s chart in MiChart, an electronic health record system (EHR) in Michigan, includes if the patient had a chest tube while they were on ECMO, time and duration of ECMO course and chest tubes, complications that arose during hospitalization, along with more patient-specific data. As we move further into our research study, we aim to draw deeper conclusions that ultimately, in the future, could set standardized practices and guidelines for chest tube placement amongst pediatric ECMO patients.
