Racial and Ethnic Variation in ECMO Utilization and Outcomes in Pediatric Cardiac ICU Patients

Previous studies have reported racial disparities in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) utilization in pediatric cardiac patients.

The objective of this study was to determine if there was racial/ethnic variation in ECMO utilization and, if so, whether mortality was mediated by differences in ECMO utilization.

This is a multicenter, retrospective cohort study of the Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care Consortium clinical registry. Analyses were stratified by hospitalization type (medical vs surgical). Logistic regression models were adjusted for confounders and evaluated the association between race/ethnicity with ECMO utilization and mortality. Secondary analyses explored interactions between race/ethnicity, insurance, and socioeconomic status with ECMO utilization and mortality.

A total of 50,552 hospitalizations from 34 hospitals were studied. Across all hospitalizations, 2.9% (N = 1,467) included ECMO. In medical and surgical hospitalizations, Black race and Hispanic ethnicity were associated with severity of illness proxies. In medical hospitalizations, race/ethnicity was not associated with the odds of ECMO utilization. Hospitalizations of other race had higher odds of mortality (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.61; 95% CI: 1.22-2.12; P = 0.001). For surgical hospitalizations, Black (aOR: 1.24; 95% CI: 1.02-1.50; P = 0.03) and other race (aOR: 1.50; 95% CI: 1.17-1.93; P = 0.001) were associated with higher odds of ECMO utilization. Hospitalizations of Hispanic patients had higher odds of mortality (aOR: 1.31; 95% CI: 1.03-1.68; P = 0.03). No significant interactions were demonstrated between race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status indicators with ECMO utilization or mortality.

Black and other races were associated with increased ECMO utilization during surgical hospitalizations. There were racial/ethnic disparities in outcomes not explained by differences in ECMO utilization. Efforts to mitigate these important disparities should include other aspects of care.