Give more families the chance to bring their loved one home

It was a Monday morning when The Alfred’s mobile Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (ECPR) team received the call. 

A man had collapsed at a gym in Melbourne. No pulse. No heartbeat. No time to get him to hospital. 

The mobile ECPR team grabbed the portable Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) heart-lung machine, boarded the response vehicle and raced across the city, bringing this lifesaving procedure direct to Hugh. 

At the gym, Hugh lay on the floor, unresponsive. His wife, Meridee, a retired GP, had already begun CPR, directing others and fighting to keep oxygen flowing to his brain. For twenty minutes, they kept going, knowing exactly what was at stake. 

But The Alfred mobile ECPR team arrived in time. They created a sterile operating space on the gym floor and connected Hugh to the machine that could take over for his heart and lungs. 

Those minutes changed everything. 

Today, Hugh is home. Sharing moments Meridee feared she had lost forever. 

Since the Australian-first mobile ECPR trial began: 

• 35 patients have received mobile ECPR 
• 26% survive, compared to less than 5% with standard hospital transfer 
• When survival isn’t possible, the program has enabled organ donation that has gone on to save other lives 

But the mobile team can currently only operate Monday to Thursday due to limited resources, even though cardiac arrest does not wait for weekdays. 

With a generous gift today, you can help expand the program, ensuring The Alfred’s mobile ECPR team can bring lifesaving care directly to more people when it matters most.