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Acute Limb Ischaemia during ECMO Support: A 6-Year Experience
Ihor Krasivskyi1, Clara Großmann1, Marit Dechow1
1Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University Hospital Cologne, 50937 Cologne, Germany.
Life (Basel, Switzerland)
|February 25, 2023
Summary
Acute limb ischemia is a frequent complication of veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO). While it did not increase mortality, it significantly raised bleeding risk in VA-ECMO patients.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Vascular Surgery
- Critical Care Medicine
Background:
- Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) is increasingly used for cardiogenic shock.
- Acute limb ischemia (ALI) is a significant complication following ECMO initiation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of ALI on short-term outcomes in patients undergoing VA-ECMO.
- To identify risk factors and complications associated with ALI in this patient population.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 104 patients treated with mobile ECMO between January 2015 and December 2021.
- Comparison of outcomes between patients with and without ALI.
- Assessment of demographic data, procedural details, and clinical outcomes.
Main Results:
- ALI occurred in 18.3% of patients.
- No significant difference in in-hospital mortality between groups (p = 0.799).
- A significantly higher bleeding rate was observed in the ALI group (p = 0.005).
Conclusions:
- ALI does not significantly impact in-hospital mortality in VA-ECMO patients.
- Early diagnosis and prevention of ALI are crucial to reduce bleeding complications.
- Further research into ALI prevention strategies during ECMO is warranted.
