Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome With and Without Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A Score Matched Study

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a life-threatening medical condition. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a salvage therapy for patients with ARDS and refractory hypoxia. This study compared the characteristics and outcomes of ARDS patients who did or did not receive ECMO matched with Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score and age.

This retrospective, case-control study enrolled patients with ARDS admitted to the intensive care unit of a tertiary referral hospital between January 2007 and December 2012. Overall, 216 patients with ARDS-81 receiving ECMO (ECMO group) and 135 not receiving ECMO (non-ECMO group)-were enrolled in this study. Patients were paired when the difference in their APACHE II scores was within 3 points and their age difference was 3 years. In total, 126 patients could not be matched and were thus excluded. Eventually, of the 90 patients with ARDS enrolled in this study, 45 ECMO group patients were matched with 45 non-ECMO group patients. The demographic data, reasons for intensive care unit admission, and laboratory variables were evaluated.

The primary etiology of ARDS was infection (72.2%). The APACHE II score and age-matched group receiving ECMO therapy had higher inhospital survival rates. Moreover, the patients receiving ECMO therapy had significantly lower 6-month mortality rates than did the non-ECMO group.

Patients with ARDS who received ECMO treatment had higher inhospital survival rates than did those with a similar disease severity and at a similar age who did not receive ECMO.