What Is the Cost of ECMO Support in Germany?
The cost of ECMO support in Germany typically ranges from $2,500 to $22,000 USD, depending on the hospital, city, and type of procedure.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a form of life support that takes over the work of the lungs, and sometimes the heart, while they recover from a severe illness. In Germany, the total depends on:
- Days on ECMO: support commonly lasts one to two weeks.
- Specialist intensive care: ECMO needs round-the-clock critical care staff.
- Equipment and blood products: circuits, cannulas and transfusions.
- Transfer: a retrieval team may move the patient to a specialist centre.
ECMO is charged mainly through intensive care, so the final cost depends on how long support is needed and may exceed this range. Ask the hospital how charges are calculated.
Conditions That May Need ECMO
University Hospitals of Leicester explains that ECMO is used when the lungs fail despite maximum ventilator support, for example in severe pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) or severe asthma.
Blood is drawn through tubes (cannulas) in the neck or groin, oxygen is added and carbon dioxide removed by a machine, and the blood is returned to the body. A specialist retrieval team often connects patients before moving them to an ECMO centre.
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The trust reports an average time on ECMO of 8 to 14 days. Patients receive heparin to stop the circuit clotting, which raises the risk of bleeding.
Bleeding in the brain is reported in about 1 in 10 to 1 in 20 patients. At Glenfield Hospital in Leicester, about 3 in 4 adults treated with ECMO survive.
ECMO in German Intensive Care
ECMO is an emergency treatment, so it is rarely arranged through the usual planned cost estimate and advance payment. For patients already in Germany, intensive care including ECMO is billed under the DRG system based on the diagnoses and procedures.
Inpatient hospital care in Germany is billed under the German DRG system, which depends on the main diagnosis, other diagnoses and the procedures carried out, so the final amount is known only after the stay.
Families of international patients should contact the hospital's international office early to discuss payment and insurance.
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Frequently Asked Questions Related to ECMO Support Cost in Germany
ECMO pumps blood out of the body, adds oxygen and removes carbon dioxide, then returns it. This rests the lungs, and sometimes the heart, while they recover.
ECMO may be used for severe lung failure, such as from pneumonia, ARDS or severe asthma, when a ventilator is not enough. It is also used in some heart conditions.
University Hospitals of Leicester reports an average of 8 to 14 days on ECMO for adults. Some patients need support for longer.
Tubes called cannulas are placed in large blood vessels in the neck or groin. These carry blood to and from the ECMO machine.
Heparin thins the blood so that clots do not form in the ECMO circuit. It does, however, increase the risk of bleeding.
The main risks are bleeding, including bleeding in the brain in about 1 in 10 to 1 in 20 patients, and infection. The intensive care team monitors for these closely.
The cost of ECMO support in Germany typically ranges from $2,500 to $22,000 USD, depending on the hospital, city, and type of procedure.
Outcomes vary by illness and centre, but about 3 in 4 adults treated at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester survive. The team can explain the outlook for an individual patient.
Yes, specialist retrieval teams often start ECMO at the referring hospital and then move the patient. This allows treatment in a centre with ECMO expertise.
Intensive care including ECMO is billed under the DRG system, which reflects the diagnoses and procedures. Families should contact the international office early to discuss payment.
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