Hemocompatibility-Related Adverse Events and Survival on Venoarterial Extracorporeal Life Support: An ELSO Registry...

This study sought to determine the frequency, incidence rates over time, association with mortality, and potential risk factors for hemocompatibility-related adverse events (HRAEs) occurring during venoarterial-extracorporeal life support (VA-ECLS).

HRAEs are common complications of VA-ECLS. Studies examining relevant clinical predictors and the association of HRAEs with survival are limited by small sample size and single-center setting.

We queried adult patients supported with VA-ECLS from 2010 to 2017 in the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization database to assess the impact of HRAEs on in-hospital mortality.

Among 11,984 adults meeting study inclusion, 8,457 HRAEs occurred; 62.1% were bleeding events. The HRAE rate decreased significantly over the study period (p trend <0.001), but rates of medical bleeding and ischemic stroke remained stable. HRAEs had a cumulative association with mortality in adjusted analysis: 1 event, odds ratio (OR) of 1.43; 2 events, OR of 1.86; ≥3 events, OR of 3.27 (p < 0.001 for all). HRAEs most strongly associated with mortality were medical bleeding, including intracranial (OR: 7.71), pulmonary (OR: 3.08), and gastrointestinal (OR: 1.95) hemorrhage and ischemic stroke (OR: 2.31); p < 0.001 for all. Risk factors included the following: for bleeding: older age, lower pH, and female sex; for thrombosis: younger age, male sex, Asian race, and non-polymethylpentene oxygenator; and for both: time on ECLS, central cannulation, and renal failure.

Although decreasing, HRAEs remain common during VA-ECLS and have a cumulative association with survival. Bleeding events are twice as common as thrombotic events, with a hierarchy of HRAEs influencing survival. Differential risk factors for bleeding and thrombotic complications exist and raise the possibility of a tailored approach to ECLS management.