Abstract
Background: Postoperative severe cardiopulmonary failure carries a high rate of mortality. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can be used as a salvage therapy when conventional therapies fail. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed our experience with ECMO support in the early postoperative period after liver transplant between September 2011 and May 2016. Results: Out of 537 liver transplants performed at our institution, seven patients required ECMO support with a median age of 52 and a median MELD score of 28. Veno-venous ECMO was used in four patients with severe respiratory failure while the rest required veno-arterial ECMO for circulatory failure. The median time from transplant to cannulation was 3 days with a median duration of ECMO support of 7 days. All patients except one were successfully decannulated. The median hospital length of stay was 58 days with an in-hospital mortality of 28.6%. Conclusion: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation can be considered a viable rescue therapy in the setting of severe postoperative cardiopulmonary failure. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy was successful in saving patients who were otherwise unsalvageable.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Article number | e13628 |
Journal | Clinical Transplantation |
Volume | 33 |
Issue number | 7 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 2019 |
Keywords
- ECMO
- cardiopulmonary failure
- liver failure
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Transplantation