Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in congenital cardiac surgery: a 10-year single-centre experience.
Over half of children survived to discharge after Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in congenital heart surgery.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in congenital cardiac surgery: a 10-year single-centre experience.
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) has evolved as an effective mechanical support for cardiorespiratory failure in patients undergoing congenital cardiac surgery, and the threshold of using it has substantially reduced.
This study presents a 10-year single-centre experience evaluating outcomes, survival, and risk factors associated with perioperative veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) in paediatric congenital cardiac surgery.
A retrospective review was undertaken for all patients younger than 16 years old who required Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation during the perioperative period between January 2013 and December 2022.
just over half of children on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation survived to discharge
Survival was higher in patients requiring Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation within 24 hours after surgery (57.4%) compared with those requiring Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation later (35.1%), while ECPR Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation patients showed 46.0% survival.
Prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass time ( p = 0.017), aortic cross-clamp time ( p = 0.002), and longer Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation duration ( p < 0.001) were significantly associated with mortality.
Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation remains a life-saving strategy after congenital cardiac surgery with survival exceeding 50%.
Early initiation and shorter Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation duration may improve outcomes, while prevention of major complications and careful patient selection are essential to optimise survival in paediatric cardiac centres.