The feasibility of venovenous extracorporeal life support to treat acute respiratory failure in adult cancer patients

Advances in the use of ECMO in oncology patient

BACKGROUND

Over the past decade, ECMO has provided temporary cardiopulmonary support to an increasing number of patients, but the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to provide temporary respiratory and circulatory support to adult patients with malignancy remains controversial.

OBJECTIVES

This paper reviews the specific use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in oncology patients.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases for studies on the use of ECMO in cancer patients between 1998 and 2022. Twenty-four retrospective, prospective, and case reports were included. The primary outcome was survival during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

RESULTS

Most studies suggest that ECMO can be used in oncology patients requiring life support during surgery, solid tumor patients with respiratory failure, and hematological tumor patients requiring ECOM as a supportive means of chemotherapy; however, in patients with hematologic oncology undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, there was no clear benefit after the use of ECMO.

CONCLUSION

Current research suggests that ECMO may be considered as a salvage support in specific cancer patients. Future studies should include larger sample sizes than those already conducted, including studies on efficacy, adverse events, and health.

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Adult Patients With Neoplasms: Outcomes and Trend Over the Last 2 Decades

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is utilized in the management of severe respiratory and circulatory failure. Advanced malignancy is a relative contraindication, but the indication for ECMO in the oncologic population has not been clearly established because of the wide spectrum of malignant disease and prognoses. The Extracorporeal Life Support Organization database was queried for patients older than 18 years with an International Classification of Diseases code of neoplasm over the past 2 decades (2000-2019). The data were divided into 2 decades to analyze and compare the trends with background and outcomes. One thousand six-hundred ninety-seven patients met inclusion criteria from the latest decade which is over 15 times the previous decade (n = 110). Compared with the previous decade, ECMO was used more in patients with older age (56 vs . 50.5 years old; p < 0.001), cardiac and extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) support type ( p = 0.011), and lower oxygenation index (23.0 vs . 35.6; p < 0.001) in the latest decade. Although overall survival did not show significant improvement overall (38.9% vs . 33.6%; p = 0.312), survival in pulmonary ECMO has significantly improved in the latest decade (41.6% vs . 29.1%; p = 0.032). Compared with the previously reported data for all adult ECMO, our patients had a significantly lower survival with pulmonary (41.6% vs . 61.1%; p < 0.001) and cardiac (38.4% vs . 44.3%; p = 0.008) support while not with ECPR.

The feasibility of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation for patients with active cancer who undergo in-hospital cardiac arrest

Indications of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) are still debatable, particularly in patients with cancer. Prediction of the prognosis of in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) in patients with cancer receiving ECPR is important given the increasing prevalence and survival rate of cancer. We compared the neurologic outcomes and survival rates of IHCA patients with and without cancer receiving ECPR. Data from the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation registry between 2015 and 2019 were used in a retrospective manner. The primary outcome was 6-month good neurologic outcome, defined as a Cerebral performance category score of 1 or 2. The secondary outcomes were 1- and 3-month good neurologic outcome, and 6-month survival. Among 247 IHCA patients with ECPR, 43 had active cancer. The 6-month good neurologic outcome rate was 27.9% and 32.4% in patients with and without active cancer, respectively (P > 0.05). Good neurologic outcomes at 1-month (30.2% vs. 20.6%) and 3-month (30.2% vs. 28.4%), and the survival rate at 6-month (39.5% vs. 36.5%) were not significantly different (all P > 0.05) Active cancer was not associated with 6-month good neurologic outcome by logistic regression analyses. Therefore, patients with IHCA should not be excluded from ECPR solely for the presence of cancer itself.

Critically ill cancer patient's resuscitation: a Belgian/French societies' consensus conference

To respond to the legitimate questions raised by the application of invasive methods of monitoring and life-support techniques in cancer patients admitted in the ICU, the European Lung Cancer Working Party and the Groupe de Recherche Respiratoire en Réanimation Onco-Hématologique, set up a consensus conference. The methodology involved a systematic literature review, experts' opinion and a final consensus conference about nine predefined questions1. Which triage criteria, in terms of complications and considering the underlying neoplastic disease and possible therapeutic limitations, should be used to guide admission of cancer patient to intensive care units?2. Which ventilatory support [High Flow Oxygenation, Non-invasive Ventilation (NIV), Invasive Mechanical Ventilation (IMV), Extra-Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)] should be used, for which complications and in which environment?3. Which support should be used for extra-renal purification, in which conditions and environment?4. Which haemodynamic support should be used, for which complications, and in which environment?5. Which benefit of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in cancer patients and for which complications?6. Which intensive monitoring in the context of oncologic treatment (surgery, anti-cancer treatment …)?7. What specific considerations should be taken into account in the intensive care unit?8. Based on which criteria, in terms of benefit and complications and taking into account the neoplastic disease, patients hospitalized in an intensive care unit (or equivalent) should receive cellular elements derived from the blood (red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets)?9. Which training is required for critical care doctors in charge of cancer patients?

Mortality Trends of Oncology and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Patients Supported on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

There is an increasing frequency of oncology and hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients seen in the intensive care unit and requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), however, prognosis of this population over time is unclear.

METHODS

MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane and Web of Science were searched from earliest publication until April 10, 2020 for studies to determine the mortality trend over time in oncology and HSCT patients requiring ECMO. Primary outcome was hospital mortality. Random-effects meta-analysis model was used to obtain pooled estimates of mortality and 95% confidence intervals. A priori subgroup metanalysis compared adult versus pediatric, oncology versus HSCT, hematological malignancy versus solid tumor, allogeneic versus autologous HSCT, and veno-arterial versus veno-venous ECMO populations. Multivariable meta-regression was also performed for hospital mortality to account for year of study and HSCT population.

RESULTS

17 eligible observational studies (n = 1109 patients) were included. Overall pooled hospital mortality was 72% (95% CI: 65, 78). In the subgroup analysis, only HSCT was associated with a higher hospital mortality compared to oncology subgroup [84% (95% CI: 70, 93) vs. 66% (95% CI: 56, 74); P = 0.021]. Meta-regression showed that HSCT was associated with increased mortality [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 3.84 (95% CI 1.77, 8.31)], however, mortality improved with time [aOR 0.92 (95% CI: 0.85, 0.99) with each advancing year].

CONCLUSION

This study reports a high overall hospital mortality in oncology and HSCT patients on ECMO which improved over time. The presence of HSCT portends almost a 4-fold increased risk of mortality and this finding may need to be taken into consideration during patient selection for ECMO.

Brief adult respiratory system health status scale-community version (BARSHSS-CV): developing and evaluating the reliability and validity

Background

The evaluation of respiratory system health status in hospitalized patients is usually based on many laboratory examinations and imaging examinations. Medical examinations require a lot of manpower, material resources, financial resources, and may cause a certain degree of mechanical damage and radiation damage. It is not easily used widely and economically to assess the respiratory health status of community adults. Therefore, researchers developed a brief adult respiratory system health status scale-community version (BARSHSS-CV) and tested its reliability and validity.

Methods

Using clinical characteristics and pathogenic factors of respiratory system diseases as a theoretical basis and through reference to relevant literature, researchers developed an initial scale. A randomized cluster sampling strategy was used to recruit adults in the communities of Baoding City, Shijiazhuang City, Cangzhou city and Chifeng City in China. Researchers randomly selected 1 district from each city. Subsequently, 4 communities were respectively randomly selected from 4 districts. Then, researchers conducted the questionnaire survey in 4 communities. Finally, researchers investigated 615 community adults. 584 valid questionnaires were recovered. By applying exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, content validity index, Cronbach’s α coefficient, mean inter-item correlation coefficient and test-retest reliability, researchers tested the reliability and validity of scale and created the final BARSHSS-CV.

Results

BARSHSS-CV Cronbach’s α=0.951, content validity = 0.933, test-retest reliability = 0.963 and factor cumulative contribution rate = 67.168% by exploratory factor analysis. By confirmatory factor analysis, Chi square value (χ2) was 442.117, degrees of freedom (df) was 161, Chi square value/degrees of freedom (χ2 /df) was 2.746, root-mean-square error of approximation (RMSEA) was 0.065, goodness of fit index (GFI) was 0.902, incremental fit index (IFI) was 0.955, comparative fit index (CFI) was 0.955, normed fit index (NFI) was 0.931, Tueker-Lewis index (TLI) was 0.947. BARSHSS-CV consisted of 20 items and 3 dimensions.

Conclusions

BARSHSS-CV with good test-retest reliability and content/construct validity is a brief and economical tool for assessing the state of respiratory system amongst adult communities. BARSHSS-CV may help medical staff in community primary medical institutions quickly, conveniently and economically assess the status of respiratory system and the main problems of respiratory system in community adults.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12913-018-3505-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Developing a simple preinterventional score to predict hospital mortality in adult venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: A pilot study

Despite gaining popularity, venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) remains a controversial therapy for acute respiratory failure (ARF) in adult patients due to its equivocal survival benefits. The study was aimed at identifying the preinterventional prognostic predictors of hospital mortality in adult VV-ECMO patients and developing a practical mortality prediction score to facilitate clinical decision-making.This retrospective study included 116 adult patients who received VV-ECMO for severe ARF in a tertiary referral center, from 2007 to 2015. The definition of severe ARF was PaO2/ FiO2 ratio < 70 mm Hg under advanced mechanical ventilation (MV). Preinterventional variables including demographic characteristics, ventilatory parameters, and severity of organ dysfunction were collected for analysis. The prognostic predictors of hospital mortality were generated with multivariate logistic regression and transformed into a scoring system. The discriminative power on hospital mortality of the scoring system was presented as the area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC).The overall hospital mortality rate was 47% (n = 54). Pre-ECMO MV day > 4 (OR: 4.71; 95% CI: 1.98-11.23; P < 0.001), pre-ECMO sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score >9 (OR: 3.16; 95% CI: 1.36-7.36; P = 0.01), and immunocompromised status (OR: 2.91; 95% CI: 1.07-7.89; P = 0.04) were independent predictors of hospital mortality of adult VV-ECMO. A mortality prediction score comprising of the 3 binary predictors was developed and named VV-ECMO mortality score. The total score was estimated as follows: VV-ECMO mortality score = 2 × (Pre-ECMO MV day > 4) + 1 × (Pre-ECMO SOFA score >9) + 1 × (immunocompromised status). The AUROC of VV-ECMO mortality score was 0.76 (95% CI: 0.67-0.85; P < 0.001). The corresponding hospital mortality rates to VV-ECMO mortality scores were 18% (Score 0), 35% (Score 1), 56% (Score 2), 75% (Score 3), and 88% (Score 4), respectively.Duration of MV, severity of organ dysfunction, and immunocompromised status were important preinterventional prognostic predictors for adult VV-ECMO. The 3 prognostic predictors could also constitute a practical prognosticating tool in patients requiring this advanced respiratory support. Physicians in ECMO institutions are encouraged to perform external validations of this prognosticating tool and make contributions to score optimization.

Venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in adult respiratory failure: Scores for mortality prediction

Despite a potentially effective therapy for adult respiratory failure, a general agreement on venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) has not been reached among institutions due to its invasiveness and high resource usage. To establish consensus on the timing of intervention, large ECMO organizations have published the respiratory extracorporeal membrane oxygenation survival prediction (RESP) score and the ECMOnet score, which allow users to predict hospital mortality for candidates with their pre-ECMO presentations. This study was aimed to test the predictive powers of these published scores in a medium-sized cohort enrolling adults treated with VV-ECMO for acute respiratory failure, and develop an institutional prediction model under the framework of the 3 scores if a superior predictive power could be achieved. This retrospective study included 107 adults who received VV-ECMO for severe acute respiratory failure (a PaO2/FiO2 ratio <70 mm Hg) in a tertiary referral center from 2007 to 2015. Essential demographic and clinical data were collected to calculate the RESP score, the ECMOnet score, and the sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score before VV-ECMO. The predictive power of hospital mortality of each score was presented as the area under receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUROC). The multivariate logistic regression was used to develop an institutional prediction model. The surviving to discharge rate was 55% (n = 59). All of the 3 published scores had a real but poor predictive power of hospital mortality in this study. The AUROCs of RESP score, ECMOnet score, and SOFA score were 0.662 (P = 0.004), 0.616 (P = 0.04), and 0.667 (P = 0.003), respectively. An institutional prediction model was established from these score parameters and presented as follows: hospital mortality (Y) = -3.173 + 0.208 × (pre-ECMO SOFA score) + 0.148 × (pre-ECMO mechanical ventilation day) + 1.021 × (immunocompromised status). Compared with the 3 scores, the institutional model had a significantly higher AUROC (0.779; P < 0.001). The 3 published scores provide valuable information about the poor prognostic factors for adult respiratory ECMO. Among the score parameters, duration of mechanical ventilation, immunocompromised status, and severity of organ dysfunction may be the most important prognostic factors of VV-ECMO used for adult respiratory failure.

Venovenous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome in Adults: Prognostic Factors for Outcomes

Despite a therapeutic option for severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), the survival benefit of venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) is still controversial in adults. This study was aimed at investigating the prognostic factors for ECMO-treated ARDS in adult patients.From 2012 to 2015, 49 patients (median age: 57 years) received VV-ECMO in our institution and were included in this retrospective study. The indication of VV-ECMO was a severe hypoxemia (PaO2/FiO2 ratio <70 mmHg) under mechanical ventilation (MV) with a peak inspiratory pressure (PIP) >35 cmH2O and a FiO2 >0.8. To decrease the impact of pulmonary injuries associated with the high-pressure ventilation, the settings of MV on VV-ECMO were downgraded according to our protocol. Outcomes of this study were death on VV-ECMO and death in hospital. Important demographic and clinical data during the treatment were collected for outcome analyses.All patients experienced significant improvements in arterial oxygenation on VV-ECMO. Twenty-four hours after initiation of VV-ECMO, the median PaO2/FiO2 ratio increased from 58 to 172 mmHg (P < 0.001) and the median SaO2 increased from 86% to 97% (P < 0.001). In the meantime, the MV settings were also effectively downgraded. The median PIP decreased from 35 to 29 cmH2O (P < 0.001) and the median tidal volume decreased from 7 to 5 ml/kg/min (P < 0.001). Twelve patients died during the treatment of VV-ECMO and 21 patients died before hospital discharge. Among all of the pre-ECMO variables, the pre-ECMO pulmonary dynamic compliance (PCdyn) <20 mL/cmH2O was identified to be the prognostic factor of death on VV-ECMO (odds ratio [OR]: 6, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1-35, P = 0.03), and the pre-ECMO duration of MV >90 hours was the prognostic factor of death before hospital discharge (OR: 7, 95% CI: 1-29, P = 0.01).VV-ECMO was a useful salvage therapy for severe ARDS in adults. However, the value of PCdyn and the duration of MV before intervention with VV-ECMO may significantly affect the patients' outcomes.