Introduction

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a rescue method in the treatment of severe cardiac and/or respiratory failure in patients with different etiological factors of this failure and also of different ages. The question of ECMO support of patients has arisen more frequently recently, as a result of the expansion of the indication criteria for this support and the increase in the contingent of patients with severe cardiac and/or respiratory failure.

Material and methods

A retrospective study was performed in patients with veno-arterial ECMO (VA-ECMO) support for cardiac or cardiorespiratory failure over a 10-year period at a single ECMO center. In this study, comorbidities and peri- and post-procedural complications were analyzed in search of predictors of failure of the method. Furthermore, the composition of treated patients was analyzed according to the indication for support and known comorbidities at the time the support was indicated.

Results

The largest indication group among patients supported by VA-ECMO was those with acute coronary syndrome (n = 42), accounting for nearly 37% of the cohort. Only 22 patients in the entire cohort had no comorbidities, accounting for 19%. Complications occurred in 77 patients, accounting for nearly 68% of patients supported.

Conclusions

Analysis of the results shows a correlation of survival with the incidence of infection at the cannulation site and limb ischemia. Survival at 30 days correlated with multiorgan dysfunction syndrome, cerebral edema and cannulation site infection. Survival at 90 days correlated with cannulation site infection. Survival at 12 months correlated with limb ischemia and cannulation site infection. Of the comorbidities known at the time of indication, only atrial fibrillation was correlated with 12-month survival and hospitalization mortality (significance level p = 0.049).