ECMO systems for Royal Adelaide Hospital | ECLS procurement and support for South Australia’s principal ECMO centre

The Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) in Adelaide is South Australia's major tertiary and quaternary referral hospital — and the state's principal ECMO centre. As one of the five hospitals in Australia with a cardiac transplantation programme, RAH manages the full spectrum of extracorporeal life support: venoarterial (VA) ECMO for cardiogenic shock and post-cardiotomy failure, venovenous (VV) ECMO for severe respiratory failure, ECPR for refractory cardiac arrest, and bridging support for patients awaiting cardiac transplantation. RAH is a participant in national ECMO registries and contributes to the growing Australian evidence base for extracorporeal life support outcomes.

RAH's position in South Australia's ECMO network

South Australia's ECMO services are concentrated at RAH, which serves as the primary hub for adult extracorporeal life support within the state. MedSTAR — SA Health's retrieval and emergency medical services — provides critical care transport capability that complements RAH's ECMO service, enabling mobile cannulation at referring hospitals and transport of ECMO-dependent patients to RAH for definitive management. This retrieval infrastructure places significant demands on the portability and reliability of ECMO equipment: systems must operate reliably in aircraft and ambulance environments, with sufficient battery autonomy for South Australia's retrieval distances.

ECMO equipment requirements for a cardiac transplant and retrieval centre

At a hospital performing cardiac transplantation and managing ECMO retrieval, the equipment specification is uncompromising:

• Bridge-to-transplant durability: Extended-duration ECMO runs — sometimes weeks for patients awaiting donor organs — require haemocompatible circuits that minimise oxygenator clotting and circuit degradation over time
• Retrieval compatibility: Battery operation, compact form factor, and aircraft-compatible mounting are essential for MedSTAR retrieval missions across South Australia's rural and remote catchment
• Emergency deployment: Rapid ECPR initiation under arrest conditions requires a system with streamlined priming and an intuitive operator interface minimising time to ECMO flow
• Regulatory documentation: ARTG listing and TGA-compliant documentation are mandatory for SA Health procurement processes
• Biomedical engineering support: In-country clinical engineering for planned maintenance and emergency response — a critical requirement in the context of SA Health's biomedical engineering governance framework

Lifemotion ECMO for Royal Adelaide Hospital

The Lifemotion ECMO system addresses the specific demands of a state-level cardiac surgery and transplant ECMO centre:

• Phosphorylcholine coating on all blood-contacting surfaces (oxygenator fibres and circuit tubing) — reducing protein adsorption and platelet activation to support haemocompatibility during extended bridge-to-transplant ECMO runs
• Three-layer pump redundancy — primary centrifugal pump, backup drive, and manual hand crank — providing uninterrupted circulatory support through any single component failure, critical in bridge-to-transplant cases where ECMO interruption cannot be tolerated
• Dual internal battery packs with approximately 120 minutes of operation each — enabling safe aeromedical transport and intra-hospital transfer without power interruption
• Guided priming sequence — five-step console-directed priming with on-screen checklist, reducing time to circuit readiness and minimising human-factors errors under time-critical conditions
• ARTG registration — all four major components listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods: console (528964), oxygenator (528771), pump head (528772), and circuit set (528773)

OHM Healthcare: national support with local responsiveness

OHM Healthcare provides Lifemotion ECMO system support to SA Health facilities through its national clinical engineering network. ISO 9001:2015 certified and TGA-compliant, OHM Healthcare offers procurement support, ARTG documentation for SA Health tender processes, equipment installation and commissioning, preventive maintenance, and emergency field service. OHM Healthcare's SA coverage ensures that Royal Adelaide Hospital and other South Australian ECMO programmes receive responsive local support rather than relying on interstate-only field service.

Integration with SA's clinical engineering governance

South Australia Health's biomedical engineering framework places specific requirements on medical device suppliers — including AS/NZS 3551 compliance for electrical safety testing, scheduled maintenance documentation, and supplier qualification. OHM Healthcare's ISO 9001:2015 certification and established processes for Australian health system procurement align with SA Health's clinical engineering governance requirements.

To discuss the Lifemotion ECMO system for Royal Adelaide Hospital or any South Australian ECMO programme — contact OHM Healthcare, exclusive ANZ distributor.

lifemotionecmo.com.au  |  ohmhealthcare.com.au

For ECMO programme directors, cardiac surgery teams, procurement officers and biomedical engineers. Educational only — clinical and procurement decisions require specialist input. OHM Healthcare is the exclusive ANZ distributor of the Lifemotion ECMO system; no clinical relationship with Royal Adelaide Hospital is implied or stated.