End-of-life care and characteristics of patients facing difficulty weaning from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and their families as practiced by expert nurses

Objective: This study aimed to qualitatively explore end-of-life (EOL) care for patients with difficulty weaning from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and their families through interviews with expert nurses and to identify key categories of EOL care and their characteristics.Methods: The study participants, who were selected through network sampling, were 16 certified nurse specialists and certified nurses who provided ECMO patient care.Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and qualitative data were collected and analyzed.Results: The results revealed 54 categories related to EOL care for patients with difficulty weaning from ECMO and their families.In an impending timeframe from the first encounter with the patients until they live out their lives, EOL care was characterized by confinement to the limited intensive care unit environment, where multidisciplinary collaborative care in the challenging state of circuit exchange conflict was paramount.Conclusions: In conclusion, expert nurses always focus on what is best for patients and exhibit flexibility in adopting their care.They focus on patients' lives, support them, and consistently endeavor to be present for patients and their families.