Cardiogenic shock (CS) describes a physiological state of end-organ hypoperfusion characterized by reduced cardiac output in the presence of adequate intravascular volume. Mortality still remains exceptionally high. Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO) has become the preferred device for short-term hemodynamic support in patients with CS. ECMO provides the highest cardiac output, complete cardiopulmonary support. In addition, the device has portable characteristics, more familiar to medical personnel. VA ECMO provides cardiopulmonary support for patients in profound CS as a bridge to myocardial recovery. This review provides an overview of VA ECMO in salvage of CS, emphasizing the indications, management and further direction.
As an extracorporeal life support technology, veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) has been demonstrated its role in the treatment of patients with severe respiratory failure. Its main advantages include the ability to maintain adequate oxygenation and remove excess CO2, increase oxygen delivery, improve tissue perfusion and metabolism, and implement lung protection strategies. Clinicians should accurately assess and identify the patient's condition, timely and accurately carry out VV-ECMO operation and management. This article will review the patient selection, cannulation strategy, anticoagulation, clinical management and weaning involved in the application of VV-ECMO.
ObjectiveTo explore the safety and feasibility of the establishment method and management strategy of prolonged support model with veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V-V ECMO) under dual lumen cannula (DLC) in conscious sheep.MethodsThree adult male sheep were selected. An Avalon Elite DLC was inserted into the superior vena cava, right atrium, and inferior vena cava through the right jugular vein and was connected with centrifugal pump and oxygenator to establish the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation circuit. All the 3 sheep were transferred into the monitoring cage after operation and were ambulatory after anesthesia recovery. Hemodynamic parameters and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation performance were measured every day.ResultsAll three sheep survived to the end of the experiment (7 days). In the whole process of the experiment, the basic vital signs of the experimental sheep were stable, and no serious bleeding or thrombotic events occurred. During the experiment, hemoglobin concentration and platelet count were relatively stable, plasma free hemoglobin was maintained at a low level, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation flow rate was stable, and oxygenation performance of oxygenator was good.ConclusionProlonged V-V ECMO model in conscious sheep under DLC is feasible and stable.
Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) is a salvage therapy for patients suffering cardiac arrest refractory to conventional resuscitation, and provides circulatory support in patients who fail to achieve a sustained return of spontaneous circulation. ECPR serves as a bridge therapy that maintains organ perfusion whilst the underlying etiology of the cardiac arrest is determined and treated. Increasing recognition of the survival benefit associated with ECPR has led to increased use of ECPR during the past decade. Commonly used indications for ECPR are: age<70 years, initial rhythm of ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia, witnessed arrest, bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation within 5 min, failure to achieve sustained return of spontaneous circulation within 15 min of beginning cardiopulmonary resuscitation. This review provides an overview of ECPR utilization, recent outcomes, risk factors, and complications of ECPR. Identifying ECPR indications, rapid deployment of extracorporeal life support equipment, and high-quality ECPR management strategies are of paramount importance to improve survival.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the correlation of activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), activated clotting time (ACT) and the activity of anti-factor Ⅹa activity with the concentration of unfractionated heparin (UFH) during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in children after cardiac surgery.MethodsThe clinical data of children (aged 6 months to 6 years) who received ECMO support after cardiac surgery in Fuwai Hospital from January 2010 to October 2020 were retrospectively collected. And the aPTT value, ACT value, anti-Ⅹa activity and the corresponding UFH dose measured simultaneously during ECMO were recorded. According to the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization anticoagulation guideline, the bleeding events of children during ECMO support were defined, and the children were divided into a bleeding group and a non-bleeding group according to whether bleeding events occurred. Pearson correlation was used to evaluate the correlation between ACT, aPTT or anti-Ⅹa activity and UFH in the same patient.ResultsA total of 58 children, including 33 males and 25 females, aged 27.31±34.17 months, were enrolled and divided into the bleeding group (n=39) and the non-bleeding group (n=19). Univariate analysis showed that compared with children in the non-bleeding group, children in the bleeding group had lower red blood cell counts (P=0.049), hemoglobin concentration (P=0.010), and hematocrit (P=0.046) on the day of ECMO installation. In addition, the transfusion volume of fresh frozen plasma (P=0.034) and fibrinogen (P=0.033) in the bleeding group was relatively more, and the proportion of exploratory thoracotomy for hemostasis was high (P=0.000); there was a moderate degree of correlation between anti-Ⅹa and UFH (r=0.418, P=0.013) but there was no correlation between ACT or aPTT and UFH.ConclusionThe aPTT value and ACT value are poorly correlated with the concentration of UFH transfused during ECMO in children after cardiac surgery, while the anti-Ⅹa activity is moderately correlated with it.
ObjectiveTo analyze the risk factors for pediatric heart transplantation at a single center and its impact on short-term prognosis, providing experience and reference for pediatric heart transplantation. MethodsThe children who underwent heart transplantation from May 2022 to May 2024 at the Seventh Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital were included in this study. We conducted a retrospective analysis of the clinical data of donors and recipients, perioperative conditions, and postoperative complications. The double-lumen venoplasty technique was used for all surgeries. Basiliximab was applied for immune induction during and after the operation (on the 4th day). Tacrolimus+mycophenolate mofetil+prednisolone acetate was used for postoperative immunosuppressive maintenance treatment. According to whether patients had a history of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) installation before surgery, they were divided into an ECMO group and a non-ECMO group. The postoperative ICU stay time, postoperative ventilator assistance time, aortic clamping time, cardiopulmonary bypass time, recipient body surface area, left ventricular ejection fraction, X-ray cardiothoracic ratio, donor heart cold ischemia time, and the weight ratio between donor and recipient were compared between the two groups, and correlation analysis was performed. ResultsA total of 17 children were included, with 10 (58.8%) males and 7 (41.2%) females. Their ages ranged from 7 months to 16 years, with a median age of 11.0 (10.0, 13.0) years. Their weights ranged from 7.0 to 67.5 kg, with an average weight of (41.6±16.7) kg. Of the 17 children, 16 survived post-operation, and 1 died 5 days after the operation. Five patients were ABO incompatible heart transplantations, and 11 patients had a history of ECMO installation before surgery. The left ventricular ejection fraction of the non-ECMO group was higher than that of the ECMO group (t=2.188, P=0.045). The postoperative ICU stay time and postoperative ventilator assistance time (r=0.599, P=0.011), and cardiopulmonary bypass time (r=0.667, P=0.003) were positively correlated. The cardiothoracic ratio was negatively correlated with the postoperative ventilator assistance time (r=−0.527, P=0.030). ConclusionPediatric heart transplantation is an effective treatment method for children with end-stage heart failure. The left ventricular ejection fraction of the recipient may be a predictive factor indicating that the child needs ECMO assistance. Longer extracorporeal circulation time and larger recipient body surface area may affect the surgical process and perioperative prognosis.
ObjectiveTo explore the clinical value of fibrinogen-albumin-ratio (FAR) in adult extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) hemorrhage. MethodsThe clinical data of adult patients receiving ECMO in the West China Hospital from 2018 to 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. Patients were divided into a bleeding group and a non-bleeding group based on whether they experienced bleeding after ECMO. Logistic regression analysis was used to study the relationship between FAR and bleeding, as well as risk factors for death. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and area under the curve (AUC) were used to analyze the predictive ability of FAR. According to the optimal cut-off value of FAR for predicting hemorrhage, patients were divided into a high-risk group and a low-risk group, and the occurrence of bleeding was compared between the two groups. ResultsA total of 125 patients were enrolled in this study, including 85 males and 40 females, aged 46.00 (31.50, 55.50) years. Among them, 58 patients received veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) and 67 patients received veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO). There were 49 patients having bleeding, and the lactate level was higher (P=0.026), the platelet count before ECMO initiation and 24 h after ECMO initiation was lower (P=0.031, 0.020), the fibrinogen level 24 h after ECMO initiation was lower (P=0.049), and the proportion of myocarditis patients was higher (P=0.017) in the bleeding group than those of the non-bleeding group. In the subgroup analysis of ECMO mode, the higher D-Dimer, lactate level and lower FAR before and 24 h after ECMO initiation were associated with bleeding in the VA-ECMO group (P=0.017, 0.011, 0.033, 0.005). The 24 h FAR was independently correlated with bleeding (P=0.048), and AUC was 0.714. The cut-off value was 55.73. According to this optimal cut-off value, 25 patients were divided into the high-risk group (≤55.73) and 33 into the low-risk group (>55.73). There was a higher incidence of bleeding in the high-risk group compared to the low-risk group (unadjusted P=0.002; P=0.013 for multivariable adjustment). In the VV-ECMO group, the relationship between FAR and bleeding events was not significant (P>0.05). ConclusionLow 24 h FAR is an independent risk factor for bleeding in VA-ECMO patients, and the diagnostic cut-off value is 55.73.
Objective To systematically evaluate the effect of the timing of left ventricular (LV) unloading on the outcomes of patients with cardiogenic shock (CS) receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). MethodsA systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, EMbase, the Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), SinoMed, and the VIP databases from their inception to February 2025. Literature screening was conducted according to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Two researchers independently assessed the study quality and extracted the data. Patients were divided into an early unloading group and a late unloading group based on the timing of LV unloading. RevMan 5.4 software was used to perform the heterogeneity test and meta-analysis. Results A total of 8 studies involving 2 117 patients were included (1 338 in the early unloading group and 779 in the late unloading group). The meta-analysis showed no statistically significant differences between the two groups in the rates of successful ECMO weaning, in-hospital mortality, or 30-day all-cause mortality (all P>0.05). Compared with the late unloading group, the early unloading group had a lower risk of sepsis [RR=0.79, 95% CI (0.64, 0.96), P=0.02] and abdominal complications [RR=0.67, 95% CI (0.46, 0.96), P=0.03]. ConclusionCompared with late LV unloading, early LV unloading does not significantly improve the successful ECMO weaning rate or early survival. However, early LV unloading is associated with a reduced risk of sepsis and abdominal complications.
Objective To analyze the risk factors for death in children with interruption of aortic arch (IAA) and ventricular septal defect (VSD) after one-stage radical surgery. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on patients with IAA and VSD who underwent one-stage radical treatment in the First Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 2006 to January 2017. Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to analyze the risk factors for death after the surgery. Results A total of 152 children were enrolled, including 70 males and 82 females. Twenty-two patients died with a mean age of 30.73±9.21 d, and the other 130 patients survived with a mean age of 37.62±11.06 d. The Cox analysis showed that younger age (OR=0.551, 95%CI 0.320-0.984, P=0.004), low body weight (OR=0.632, 95%CI 0.313-0.966, P=0.003), large ratio of VSD diameter/aortic root diameter (VSD/AO, OR=2.547, 95%CI 1.095-7.517, P=0.044), long cardiopulmonary bypass time (OR=1.374, 95%CI 1.000-3.227, P=0.038), left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO, OR=3.959, 95%CI 1.123-9.268, P=0.015) were independent risk factors for postoperative death. Conclusion For children with IAA and VSD, younger age, low body weight, large ratio of VSD/AO, long cardiopulmonary bypass time and LVOTO are risk factors for death after one-stage radical surgery.