Optimizing anticoagulation for CKRT in pediatric ECMO: the effectivity of regional citrate anticoagulation

This retrospective, descriptive study, conducted in a single-center PICU from June 2014 to May 2023, aimed to analyze the efficacy of adjunctive regional citrate anticoagulation for continuous kidney replacement therapy (CKRT) circuits during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

Patients were divided into two groups based on their CKRT anticoagulation strategy: those receiving regional citrate anticoagulation in addition to systemic heparin (UFH + RCA group) and those receiving only systemic heparin (UFH group). CKRT circuits were also classified as either UFH + RCA or UFH to analyze outcomes specific to each anticoagulation strategy. CKRT circuit lifespan estimation was calculated by dividing the total CKRT duration by the number of circuits used.

During the study period, 110 pediatric patients were treated with ECMO at our PICU. During ECMO, 64 (58.2%) of these patients required CKRT. Fluid overload and acute kidney injury were the primary indications for CKRT. While not statistically significant, the median estimate CKRT circuit lifespan was longer in the citrate group [84 (38.4-112.0)] than the heparin group [52 (12.0-408.0)]. Circuit changes due to clotting were significantly higher in the heparin group compared to the citrate group (58.1% vs. 31.7%, p = 0.00). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed a statistically significant difference in the timing of clotting-related circuit changes, favoring UFH + RCA (p = 0.02).

To the best of our knowledge, our study represents the first comparison of UFH + RCA and UFH alone for CKRT in pediatric ECMO patients. Our findings suggest that using UFH + RCA might help the circuit last longer by decreasing changes caused by clotting. Prospective studies on this topic are needed.