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J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2006;132:954-960
© 2006 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery

Cardiothoracic Transplantation

Extended use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation after lung transplantation

^a Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
^b Department of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
^c Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio.

Received for publication March 23, 2006; revisions received June 14, 2006; accepted for publication June 20, 2006.

^_* Address for reprints: David P. Mason, MD, Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Ave/Desk F24, Cleveland, OH 44195. (Email: masond2{at}ccf.org).

Objectives: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for severe graft failure after lung transplantation is accepted immediately postoperatively; extending its use is controversial. We evaluated our post–lung transplant ECMO experience, which included extended indication, to (1) determine its prevalence, risk factors, indications, and timing, (2) compare complications and outcomes of these patients with those not requiring it, and (3) identify risk factors, including indications, for mortality.

Methods: From February 1990 to October 2005, 474 patients underwent lung transplantation; postoperative ECMO support was instituted for severe graft failure 23 times in 22 patients (4.0%). Indications for ECMO and its timing were obtained by reviewing medical records and survival by systematic follow-up.

Results: No factor evaluated predicted severe graft failure leading to ECMO. The most common indication for ECMO was early graft failure (13 patients); however, it was also used for pneumonia or sepsis (6) and acute rejection (4). ECMO was initiated at a median arterial oxygen tension/inspired oxygen fraction of 59 at a median of 2 days postoperatively and was maintained for a median of 4 days. The most common complications were renal failure (57%) and bleeding (43%). ECMO was effective in salvaging patients with rejection and early graft failure (survival at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months: 62%, 54%, 49%, and 41%), but ineffective for pneumonia or sepsis (survival at these intervals: 9%, 4%, 4%, and 3%).

Conclusions: ECMO can be extended beyond early severe graft failure to acute rejection and can be considered after the immediate postoperative period. Survival after ECMO in patients with pneumonia or sepsis is poor.

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