Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation During Adult Noncardiac Surgery and Perioperative Emergencies: A Narrative Review

Commercial and novel anticoagulant ECMO coatings: a review

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is an invasive and last-resort treatment for circulatory and respiratory failure. Prolonged ECMO support can disrupt the coagulation and anticoagulation systems in a patient, leading to adverse consequences, such as bleeding and thrombosis. To address this problem, anticoagulation coatings have been developed for use in ECMO circuits. This article reviews commonly used commercial and novel anticoagulant coatings developed in recent years and proposes a new classification of coatings based on the current state. While commercial coatings have been used clinically for decades, this review focuses on comparing the effectiveness and stability of coatings to support clinical selections. Furthermore, novel anticoagulation coatings often involve complex mechanisms and elaborate design strategies, and this review summarises representative studies on mainstream anticoagulation coatings to provide a point of reference for future studies.

Massive hemoptysis managed by prolonged anticoagulation-free veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation with which thoracic surgeries were accompanied: a case report

Background

Massive hemoptysis causing inadequate ventilation results in life-threatening consequences. We present a patient who developed respiratory insufficiency produced by bronchiectatic massive hemoptysis and underwent prolonged anticoagulation-free veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) during which thoracic surgeries were performed.

Case presentation

A 79-year-old woman suffered massive hemoptysis resulting in respiratory failure during fiberoptic bronchoscopy. Bronchial intubation followed by one lung ventilation failed to ensure adequate oxygenation. Anticoagulation-free VV-ECMO, therefore, was installed immediately. Since conservative hemostatic measures including bronchial arterial embolization were not effective, resection of the culprit lung was performed while on VV-ECMO. Next day an exploratory thoracotomy and intercostal artery embolization were needed for recurrent bleeding. The VV-ECMO was withdrawn after five days of operation.

Conclusions

Massive hemoptysis can be fatal and needs instantaneous and intensive treatments. In our case, long-term anticoagulation-free VV-ECMO during which thoracic surgeries and endovascular interventions were performed provided a favorable outcome.

SEDAR/SECCE ECMO management consensus document

ECMO is an extracorporeal cardiorespiratory support system whose use has been increased in the last decade. Respiratory failure, postcardiotomy shock, and lung or heart primary graft failure may require the use of cardiorespiratory mechanical assistance. In this scenario perioperative medical and surgical management is crucial. Despite the evolution of technology in the area of extracorporeal support, morbidity and mortality of these patients continues to be high, and therefore the indication as well as the ECMO removal should be established within a multidisciplinary team with expertise in the area. This consensus document aims to unify medical knowledge and provides recommendations based on both the recent bibliography and the main national ECMO implantation centres experience with the goal of improving comprehensive patient care.

Cesarean section in patient with metastatic Ewing sarcoma requiring VA-ECMO support

A 26-year-old pregnant woman, with multiple metastatic Ewing sarcoma, presented with a sternal mass that began enlarging during pregnancy. Due to high-risk pregnancy, the patient was discussed in a multidisciplinary meeting and intubation was considered too risky without cardiopulmonary support. Computed tomography showed extrinsic tumor compression of the right ventricle outflow tract. Veno-arterial (VA) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) was initiated before general anesthesia, followed by Cesarean section (C-section). VA ECMO was initiated with the patient in the awake position, ECMO support was discontinued when the patient had stable ventilation and hemodynamics. This case represents a unique indication of VA ECMO, during C-section, with maternal and fetal survival.

Relationship between 30 Days Mortality and Incidence of Intraoperative Cardiac Arrest According to the Timing of ECMO

Background: Recently, the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in noncardiac surgery, such as thoracic surgery, has increased. However, there have been no studies on the mortality and incidence of intraoperative cardiac arrest with or without ECMO during thoracic surgery. Methods: Between January 2011 and October 2018, 63 patients received ECMO support during thoracic surgery. All patients who applied ECMO from starting at any time before surgery to the day of surgery were included. Patients were divided into the emergency ECMO group and the non-emergency ECMO group according to the timing of ECMO. We compared the factors related to 30 day mortality using Cox regression analysis. Results: The emergency ECMO and non-emergency ECMO groups comprised 27 and 36 patients, respectively. On the operation day, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was a very important result, and only occurred in the emergency ECMO group (n = 20, 74.1% vs. 0%, p < 0.001). The most common cause of ECMO indication was the CPR in the emergency ECMO group and respiratory failure in the non-emergency ECMO group. There were significant differences in 30 day mortality between the emergency ECMO group and the non-emergency ECMO group (n = 12, 44.4% vs. n = 3, 8.3%, p = 0.001). The Kaplan–Meier analysis curve for 30 day mortality showed that the emergency ECMO group had a significantly higher rate of 30 day mortality than the non-emergency ECMO group (X² = 14.7, p < 0.001). Conclusions: A lower incidence of intraoperative cardiac arrest occurred in the non-emergency ECMO group than in the emergency ECMO group. Moreover, 30 day mortality was associated with emergency ECMO.

Utility of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in the management of traumatic tracheobronchial injuries: case series

Tracheobronchial injury is a rare, but potentially life-threatening condition, and in most cases requires urgent treatment to restore normal respiratory physiology. Over the past decades, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has evolved as an important adjunct in airway surgery. We presented three cases of traumatic tracheobronchial injury managed with ECMO support at a level-1 trauma center and emphasized the benefits of anticipation and early institution of ECMO support perioperatively, in these high-risk cases. The management of traumatic tracheobronchial injuries requires early measures to guarantee adequate ventilation. Anticipation and early institution of ECMO in these patients may support respiratory physiology, facilitate repair and improve survival. The time factor and multidisciplinary communication and plan prior to intervention should be considered. ECMO support, whenever available, plays important role in the management of complicated tracheobronchial surgical procedure and thereby reduces risk of mortality.

Application and outcomes of extracorporeal life support in emergency general surgery and trauma

BACKGROUND

We analyzed the use of Extracorporeal Membranous Oxygenation (ECMO) in acute care surgery patients at our Level-1 trauma center. We hypothesized that this patient population has improved ECMO outcomes.

METHODS

This was a retrospective analysis of emergency general surgery and trauma patients placed on ECMO between the periods of October 2013 and February 2020. There were 10 surgical and 12 trauma patients studied, who eventually required ECMO support. ECMO support and ECMO type/modality were analyzed with injury and survival prognostic scores examined.

MAIN RESULTS

Overall, 16 of the 22 patients survived to hospital discharge, for a survival rate of 73%. Mean age was 34.18 years. Mean hospital length of stay was 23.4 days with mean days on ECMO equal to 7.5. The net negative fluid balance was 5.36 L.

CONCLUSIONS

The survival of our ECMO cohort is notably higher than previously cited studies. Our group demonstrated decreased length of time on ECMO, decreased length of stay in the hospital, and similar rates of complications compared to prior reports. ECMO is a useful modality in acute care surgical patients and should be considered in these patient populations. Our focus on net negative fluid balance for ECMO patients demonstrates improved survival. ECMO should be considered early in surgical patients and early in advanced trauma life support.

Rescue extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for massive anterior mediastinal masses

The management of massive anterior mediastinal masses (AMM) is challenging. With the burgeoning role of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support (ECMO) beyond the confines of salvage therapy, more trained clinicians are adopting it as a bridge for high-risk procedures or situations where temporary respiratory or cardiac support is required. We report our experience with using ECMO in the management of massive AMM in this case series of three patients sharing their clinical details and the lessons learned from them.

Management of critical tracheal stenosis with a straw sized tube (Tritube): Case report

Imminent upper airway obstruction due to life-threatening tracheal stenosis of any cause is a challenging situation. We present a challenging case of total thyroidectomy for a malignant, invasive, and highly vascularized thyroid carcinoma that has invaded the surrounding tissues, including the sternum and mediastinum, resulting in compression of the trachea with indentation. The patient presented with a significant symptomatic tracheal stenosis, the narrowest area of that was 4 mm. Airway management in such cases presents a particular challenge to the anesthesiologists, especially considering that the option of tracheostomy is very difficult most of the time due to the highly swollen thyroid and distorted anatomy. A meticulous history of the patient's illness had been taken, and a comprehensive preoperative evaluation was conducted, including construction of a 3D model airway, virtual endoscopy, and transnasal tracheoscopy. On the day of the surgery, the airway was managed through spontaneous respiration using intravenous anesthesia and the high-flow nasal oxygen (STRIVE-Hi) technique. It was then secured with intubation using a straw endotracheal tube (Tritube®) with an internal diameter (ID) of 2.4 mm and an outer diameter of 4.4 mm with the help of a fiberscope and D-MAC blade of a video laryngoscope. At the end of the procedure, the airway was checked with a fiber optic scope, which showed an improvement in the narrowed area. This enabled us to replace the Tritube with an adult cuffed ETT of size 6.5 mm ID, and the patient was transferred intubated to the surgical ICU. Two days later, the patient's tracheal diameter was evaluated with the help of a fiberoptic scope and extubated successfully in the operating theater.