BACKGROUND: Outcomes in cardiac surgery are influenced by surgical priority, with higher mortality in emergency cases. Whether this applies to postcardiotomy venoarterial (VA) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) remains unknown. This study describes characteristics and outcomes of patients undergoing cardiac operations and requiring VA ECMO, stratified by emergency, urgent, or elective operation. METHODS: This retrospective multicenter observational study included adults requiring postcardiotomy VA ECMO between 2000 and 2020. Preoperative and procedural characteristics, complications, and survival were compared among the 3 patient groups. The association between emergency surgery and in-hospital survival was investigated through mixed Cox proportional hazard models. RESULTS: The study cohort comprised 1063 patients (52.2%) with elective operations, 445 (21.8%) with urgent operations, and 528 (26%) with emergency operations. Emergency operations included more coronary artery bypass grafting operations (n = 286; 54.2%; P < .001) and aortic procedures (n = 126; 23.9%; P = .001) in patients with more unstable preoperative hemodynamic conditions compared to elective and urgent patients. VA ECMO was initiated more frequently intraoperatively in emergency patients (n = 353; 66.9%; P < .001). Postoperative bleeding (n = 338; 64.3%; P < .001), stroke (n = 79; 15%; P < .001), and right ventricular failure (n = 124; 25.3%) were more frequent after emergency operations. In-hospital mortality was 60.5% in the elective group, 57.8% in the urgent group, 63.4% in the emergency group (P = .191). The crude hazard ratio for in-hospital mortality in emergency surgery was 1.15 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01-1.32; P = .039) and dropped to 1.09 (95% CI, 0.93-1.27; P = .295) after adjustment for indicators of preoperative instability. 5-year survival was comparable in 30-day survivors (P = .083). CONCLUSIONS: One-quarter of postcardiotomy VA ECMOs are implemented after emergency operations. Despite more complications in emergency cases, in-hospital and 5-year survival are comparable between emergency, urgent, or elective operations.

• Keywords
• cardiac surgery, cardiogenic shock, complications, emergency, extracorporeal life support, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

OBJECTIVES: Most post-cardiotomy (PC) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) runs last less than 7 days. Studies on the outcomes of longer runs have provided conflicting results. This study investigates patient characteristics and short- and long-term outcomes in relation to PC ECMO duration, with a focus on prolonged (> 7 d) ECMO. DESIGN: Retrospective observational cohort study. SETTING: Thirty-four centers from 16 countries between January 2000 and December 2020. PATIENTS: Adults requiring post PC ECMO between 2000 and 2020. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Characteristics, in-hospital, and post-discharge outcomes were compared among patients categorized by ECMO duration. Survivors and nonsurvivors were compared in the subgroup of patients with ECMO duration greater than 7 days. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Two thousand twenty-one patients were included who required PC ECMO for 0-3 days ( n = 649 [32.1%]), 4-7 days ( n = 776 [38.3%]), 8-10 days ( n = 263 [13.0%]), and greater than 10 days ( n = 333 [16.5%]). There were no major differences in the investigated preoperative and procedural characteristics among ECMO duration groups. However, the longer ECMO duration category was associated with multiple complications including bleeding, acute kidney injury, arrhythmias, and sepsis. Hospital mortality followed a U-shape curve, with lowest mortality in patients with ECMO duration of 4-7 days ( n = 394, 50.8%) and highest in patients with greater than 10 days ECMO support ( n = 242, 72.7%). There was no significant difference in post-discharge survival between ECMO duration groups. In patients with ECMO duration greater than 7 days, age, comorbidities, valvular diseases, and complex procedures were associated with nonsurvival. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly 30% of PC ECMO patients were supported for greater than 7 days. In-hospital mortality increased after 7 days of support, especially in patients undergoing valvular and complex surgery, or who had complications, although the long-term post-discharge prognosis was comparable to PC ECMO patients with shorter support duration.

• MeSH
• Time Factors MeSH
• Cardiac Surgical Procedures * adverse effects   mortality   MeSH
• Cohort Studies MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation * methods   adverse effects   MeSH
• Hospital Mortality * MeSH
• Retrospective Studies MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Check Tag
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Multicenter Study MeSH
• Observational Study MeSH

BACKGROUND: Cerebral perfusion may change depending on arterial cannulation site and may affect the incidence of neurologic adverse events in post-cardiotomy extracorporeal life support (ECLS). The current study compares patients' neurologic outcomes with three commonly used arterial cannulation strategies (aortic vs. subclavian/axillary vs. femoral artery) to evaluate if each ECLS configuration is associated with different rates of neurologic complications. METHODS: This retrospective, multicenter (34 centers), observational study included adults requiring post-cardiotomy ECLS between January 2000 and December 2020 present in the Post-Cardiotomy Extracorporeal Life Support (PELS) Study database. Patients with Aortic, Subclavian/Axillary and Femoral cannulation were compared on the incidence of a composite neurological end-point (ischemic stroke, cerebral hemorrhage, brain edema). Secondary outcomes were overall in-hospital mortality, neurologic complications as cause of in-hospital death, and post-operative minor neurologic complications (seizures). Association between cannulation and neurological outcomes were investigated through linear mixed-effects models. RESULTS: This study included 1897 patients comprising 26.5% Aortic (n = 503), 20.9% Subclavian/Axillary (n = 397) and 52.6% Femoral (n = 997) cannulations. The Subclavian/Axillary group featured a more frequent history of hypertension, smoking, diabetes, previous myocardial infarction, dialysis, peripheral artery disease and previous stroke. Neuro-monitoring was used infrequently in all groups. Major neurologic complications were more frequent in Subclavian/Axillary (Aortic: n = 79, 15.8%; Subclavian/Axillary: n = 78, 19.6%; Femoral: n = 118, 11.9%; p < 0.001) also after mixed-effects model adjustment (OR 1.53 [95% CI 1.02-2.31], p = 0.041). Seizures were more common in Subclavian/Axillary (n = 13, 3.4%) than Aortic (n = 9, 1.8%) and Femoral cannulation (n = 12, 1.3%, p = 0.036). In-hospital mortality was higher after Aortic cannulation (Aortic: n = 344, 68.4%, Subclavian/Axillary: n = 223, 56.2%, Femoral: n = 587, 58.9%, p < 0.001), as shown by Kaplan-Meier curves. Anyhow, neurologic cause of death (Aortic: n = 12, 3.9%, Subclavian/Axillary: n = 14, 6.6%, Femoral: n = 28, 5.0%, p = 0.433) was similar. CONCLUSIONS: In this analysis of the PELS Study, Subclavian/Axillary cannulation was associated with higher rates of major neurologic complications and seizures. In-hospital mortality was higher after Aortic cannulation, despite no significant differences in incidence of neurological cause of death in these patients. These results encourage vigilance for neurologic complications and neuromonitoring use in patients on ECLS, especially with Subclavian/Axillary cannulation.

• Keywords
• Cardiac arrest, Cardiac surgery, Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, ICH, Neurologic complications, Stroke,
• MeSH
• Aorta * MeSH
• Femoral Artery * MeSH
• Subclavian Artery MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Cardiac Surgical Procedures adverse effects   methods   MeSH
• Catheterization methods   adverse effects   statistics & numerical data   MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation * methods   adverse effects   statistics & numerical data   MeSH
• Hospital Mortality trends   MeSH
• Nervous System Diseases etiology   epidemiology   MeSH
• Catheterization, Peripheral methods   adverse effects   statistics & numerical data   MeSH
• Postoperative Complications epidemiology   etiology   MeSH
• Retrospective Studies MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Multicenter Study MeSH
• Observational Study MeSH

BACKGROUND: Acute type A aortic dissection (TAAD) is associated with significant mortality and morbidity. In this study we evaluated the prognostic significance of preoperative arterial lactate concentration on the outcome after surgery for TAAD. METHODS: The ERTAAD registry included consecutive patients who underwent surgery for acute type A aortic dissection (TAAD) at 18 European centers of cardiac surgery. RESULTS: Data on arterial lactate concentration immediately before surgery were available in 2798 (71.7 %) patients. Preoperative concentration of arterial lactate was an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality (mean, 3.5 ± 3.2 vs 2.1 ± 1.8 mmol/L, adjusted OR 1.181, 95%CI 1.129-1.235). The best cutoff value preoperative arterial lactate concentration was 1.8 mmol/L (in-hospital mortality, 12.0 %, vs. 26.6 %, p < 0.0001). The rates of in-hospital mortality increased along increasing quintiles of arterial lactate and it was 12.1 % in the lowest quintile and 33.6 % in the highest quintile (p < 0.0001). The difference between multivariable models with and without preoperative arterial lactate was statistically significant (p = 0.0002). The NRI was 0.296 (95%CI 0.200-0.391) (p < 0.0001) with -17 % of events correctly reclassified (p = 0.0002) and 46 % of non-events correctly reclassified (p < 0.0001). The IDI was 0.025 (95%CI 0.016-0.034) (p < 0.0001). Six studies from a systematic review plus the present one provided data for a pooled analysis which showed that the mean difference of preoperative arterial lactate between 30-day/in-hospital deaths and survivors was 1.85 mmol/L (95%CI 1.22-2.47, p < 0.0001, I2 64 %). CONCLUSIONS: Hyperlactatemia significantly increased the risk of mortality after surgery for acute TAAD and should be considered in the clinical assessment of these critically ill patients.

• Keywords
• Aortic dissection, Arterial lactate, Hyperlactatemia, Lactic acid, Type A aortic dissection,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Background Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been increasingly used for postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock, but without a concomitant reduction in observed in-hospital mortality. Long-term outcomes are unknown. This study describes patients' characteristics, in-hospital outcome, and 10-year survival after postcardiotomy ECMO. Variables associated with in-hospital and postdischarge mortality are investigated and reported. Methods and Results The retrospective international multicenter observational PELS-1 (Postcardiotomy Extracorporeal Life Support) study includes data on adults requiring ECMO for postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock between 2000 and 2020 from 34 centers. Variables associated with mortality were estimated preoperatively, intraoperatively, during ECMO, and after the occurrence of any complications, and then analyzed at different time points during a patient's clinical course, through mixed Cox proportional hazards models containing fixed and random effects. Follow-up was established by institutional chart review or contacting patients. This analysis included 2058 patients (59% were men; median [interquartile range] age, 65.0 [55.0-72.0] years). In-hospital mortality was 60.5%. Independent variables associated with in-hospital mortality were age (hazard ratio [HR], 1.02 [95% CI, 1.01-1.02]) and preoperative cardiac arrest (HR, 1.41 [95% CI, 1.15-1.73]). In the subgroup of hospital survivors, the overall 1-, 2-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates were 89.5% (95% CI, 87.0%-92.0%), 85.4% (95% CI, 82.5%-88.3%), 76.4% (95% CI, 72.5%-80.5%), and 65.9% (95% CI, 60.3%-72.0%), respectively. Variables associated with postdischarge mortality included older age, atrial fibrillation, emergency surgery, type of surgery, postoperative acute kidney injury, and postoperative septic shock. Conclusions In adults, in-hospital mortality after postcardiotomy ECMO remains high; however, two-thirds of those who are discharged from hospital survive up to 10 years. Patient selection, intraoperative decisions, and ECMO management remain key variables associated with survival in this cohort. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT03857217.

• Keywords
• acute heart failure, cardiac surgery, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, mechanical circulatory support, postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock,
• MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Cardiac Surgical Procedures * adverse effects   MeSH
• Shock, Cardiogenic etiology   therapy   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation * adverse effects   MeSH
• Hospital Mortality MeSH
• Aftercare MeSH
• Postoperative Complications etiology   MeSH
• Patient Discharge MeSH
• Retrospective Studies MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Multicenter Study MeSH

BACKGROUND: The outcome after weaning from postcardiotomy venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) is poor. In this study, we investigated the prognostic impact of arterial lactate levels at the time of weaning from postcardiotomy VA. METHODS: This analysis included 338 patients from the multicenter PC-ECMO registry with available data on arterial lactate levels at weaning from VA-ECMO. RESULTS: Arterial lactate levels at weaning from VA-ECMO (adjusted OR 1.426, 95%CI 1.157-1.758) was an independent predictor of hospital mortality, and its best cutoff values was 1.6 mmol/L (<1.6 mmol/L, 26.2% vs. ≥ 1.6 mmol/L, 45.0%; adjusted OR 2.489, 95%CI 1.374-4.505). When 261 patients with arterial lactate at VA-ECMO weaning ≤2.0 mmol/L were analyzed, a cutoff of arterial lactate of 1.4 mmol/L for prediction of hospital mortality was identified (<1.4 mmol/L, 24.2% vs. ≥1.4 mmol/L, 38.5%, p = 0.014). Among 87 propensity score-matched pairs, hospital mortality was significantly higher in patients with arterial lactate ≥1.4 mmol/L (39.1% vs. 23.0%, p = 0.029) compared to those with lower arterial lactate. CONCLUSIONS: Increased arterial lactate levels at the time of weaning from postcardiotomy VA-ECMO increases significantly the risk of hospital mortality. Arterial lactate may be useful in guiding optimal timing of VA-ECMO weaning.

• Keywords
• ECMO, VA-ECMO, cardiac surgery, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, postcardiotomy, venoarterial,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH