When someone’s heart stops working properly, doctors sometimes use special machines to help pump blood through their body. This research looked at what nurses do to take care of these patients. Scientists reviewed 10 studies about nursing care and found that nurses are super important for keeping these machines working, watching for problems, and helping patients get better. The study shows that nurses do four main things: watch the patient closely, stop bad things from happening, help the patient feel comfortable, and follow safety rules. The research says that nurses need better training and clearer guidelines to give the best care possible.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: What do nurses do to care for patients whose hearts aren’t working and who need machines to help pump their blood?
  • Who participated: The review looked at 10 different studies from around the world about adult patients in hospitals with serious heart problems who were using heart-support machines.
  • Key finding: Nurses do four critical jobs: constantly watching the patient’s condition and the machine, preventing and treating serious problems like bleeding and infections, helping patients stay comfortable and breathe properly, and following strict safety rules to keep everything working smoothly.
  • What it means for you: If you or a loved one ever needs a heart-support machine in the hospital, knowing that nurses are trained to watch carefully and follow safety rules may help you feel more confident about the care. However, this research shows that not all hospitals do things the same way, so asking about nurse training and safety protocols is a good idea.

The Research Details

This is a scoping review, which means scientists looked at many different studies on the same topic to see what we know overall. The researchers searched four big medical databases (PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, and Web of Science) for all studies about how nurses care for heart patients using machines. They looked for studies from the beginning of each database up to May 2025. They included studies that talked about nursing care in hospital intensive care units for adults with serious heart problems who needed machine support, including a special machine called ECMO that does the work of both the heart and lungs.

The researchers read through all the studies they found and organized the information into four main categories based on what nurses actually do. This type of review helps doctors and nurses understand the big picture of what’s known and what’s still missing from the research.

This research matters because heart-support machines are life-saving tools, but they’re complicated and risky. Nurses spend the most time with these patients, so understanding what they do best and how to train them better can save lives. By looking at all the research together, scientists can see patterns in good nursing care and find areas where hospitals need to do better.

This is a scoping review, which is a good way to map out what we know about a topic, but it’s not as strong as some other types of research. The review only looked at 10 studies, which is a small number. The studies came from different countries and hospitals, so they may have done things differently. The researchers didn’t rate how good each study was, which means some studies might have been better quality than others. This type of review is best for showing what we know and what we need to learn more about, rather than proving something definitely works.

What the Results Show

The research found that nurses do four main types of work with heart-support machine patients. First, nurses watch the patient and machine constantly, checking things like blood pressure, heart rate, and how well the machine is working. Second, nurses work hard to stop serious problems before they happen, like bleeding, blood clots, and infections—and when these problems do happen, nurses treat them quickly. Third, nurses help patients feel as comfortable as possible by managing pain medicine, helping them breathe with machines, making sure they eat or get nutrition through tubes, and keeping their fluids balanced. Fourth, nurses follow strict safety rules and protocols to make sure everything is done the same way every time.

The studies showed that nurses need special training to do this work well because the machines are complex and patients are very sick. When nurses follow clear guidelines and protocols, patients do better. The research also found that having enough nurses on staff is important—when there aren’t enough nurses, mistakes can happen and patients don’t get as good care.

One important finding was that different hospitals do things differently. Some hospitals have clear rules about what nurses should do, but others don’t. This means a patient might get different care depending on which hospital they go to. The research suggests that having the same standards everywhere would help patients get better care.

The review found that good communication between nurses and doctors is important for patient safety. When nurses and doctors work as a team and share information clearly, patients have fewer problems. The studies also showed that nurses need to be trained not just once, but over and over, to keep their skills sharp. Some studies mentioned that nurses felt stressed and tired from this difficult work, which can affect how well they care for patients. The research suggests that hospitals should help nurses manage stress and prevent burnout.

This research adds to what we already know by showing that nurses are the backbone of care for these very sick patients. Previous research has focused mostly on doctors and the machines themselves, but this review puts the spotlight on nurses’ important work. It confirms what many doctors and nurses already believed—that good nursing care makes a big difference—but now we have research to back it up. The review also shows that we need more studies specifically about nursing care, because most research has focused on other parts of treatment.

This review has some important limits to know about. Only 10 studies were included, which is not very many, so we might be missing important information. The studies came from different countries and hospitals, so they may have measured things differently or had different patient types. The review didn’t judge how good each study was, so some studies might have been better quality than others. The review didn’t look at what patients and families think about their care, only what nurses and doctors reported. Finally, because this is a review of other studies rather than a new study itself, it can’t prove that one way of nursing care is definitely better than another—it can only show what the research suggests.

The Bottom Line

Based on this research, hospitals should: (1) Make sure nurses get special training on heart-support machines and keep that training up to date—High confidence; (2) Create clear, written rules and protocols for how nurses should care for these patients so everyone does things the same way—High confidence; (3) Make sure there are enough nurses on staff so patients get good care and nurses don’t get too tired—High confidence; (4) Have doctors and nurses work closely together and communicate clearly—High confidence. These recommendations are based on what the research shows, but more studies are needed to test if these changes actually improve patient outcomes.

Patients and families should care about this research if someone they love has a serious heart problem and might need a heart-support machine. Hospital leaders and nurse managers should care because it shows how to improve care. Nurses working in intensive care units should care because it highlights their important role and what training they need. Doctors who work with these patients should care because it shows how important teamwork with nurses is. People interested in hospital safety and quality should care because it shows areas where hospitals can do better. This research is less relevant for people with healthy hearts or minor heart problems.

If hospitals make the changes this research suggests, patients might see better care right away because nurses will be better trained and follow clearer rules. However, it takes time to train nurses and change how hospitals work, so big improvements might take several months to a year. Some benefits, like fewer infections or blood clots, might take weeks to months to show up. The best results come when hospitals make all the changes together—training, clear rules, enough staff, and good teamwork—not just one change alone.

Want to Apply This Research?

  • If you’re a patient or caregiver, track daily: (1) Any new symptoms or concerns (fever, unusual bleeding, shortness of breath), (2) Times when nurses checked on you and what they checked, (3) Any medicines or treatments given, (4) How you felt (pain level 1-10, energy level, mood). This helps you notice patterns and gives important information to share with your care team.
  • Work with your nurse to understand your care plan. Ask questions about what the machine does, what signs of problems to watch for, and what you can do to help your recovery. If you’re able to move or do small activities, work with your nurse on a plan. Keep a simple journal of how you feel each day. This active involvement helps nurses give better care and helps you recover faster.
  • Long-term, track your recovery progress by noting: (1) When you can do more activities (sit up, walk, eat regular food), (2) Any ongoing problems or concerns, (3) Follow-up appointments and test results, (4) How you feel compared to previous weeks. Share this information with your doctor at each visit. This helps your care team see if the treatment is working and adjust your care if needed.

This research is a review of nursing care for patients with serious heart problems using machines to help their hearts pump. It is not medical advice and should not replace talking with your doctor or nurse. If you or a loved one has heart problems or needs a heart-support machine, discuss all treatment options, risks, and benefits with your medical team. The findings in this research show what nurses do and suggest ways to improve care, but every patient is different and needs personalized medical care. Always follow your doctor’s specific instructions for your situation.