Association Between Cannula Size of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation and Prognosis in Patients With Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest - A Secondary Analysis of the SAVE-J II Study.

Abstract

Background: Selecting an appropriate cannula size is crucial for achieving an adequate extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) flow rate. However, the association between ECMO cannula size and the prognosis of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) has not been fully elucidated. We examined the associations between ECMO cannula size and neurological outcomes and survival at discharge in patients with OHCA who received ECMO.

Methods and results: This is a secondary analysis of the Study of Advanced life support for Ventricular fibrillation with Extracorporeal circulation in Japan (SAVE-J II study). The primary and secondary outcomes were favorable neurological outcomes and survival at discharge, respectively. In all, 918 patients were included in the analysis. There were no statistically significant differences between cannula sizes and neurological outcomes. Multivariable analysis showed that increasing body weight (BW)-adjusted sizes of arterial cannulas (odds ratio [OR] 1.04 per 0.01-Fr/kg increase; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.07; P=0.011) and venous cannulas (OR 1.04 per 0.01-Fr/kg increase; 95% CI 1.01-1.06; P=0.005) were significantly associated with the survival rate at discharge. Increasing BW-adjusted sizes of arterial cannulas were significantly associated with cannulation site bleeding.

Conclusions: There were no significant associations between favorable neurological outcomes and cannula size, whereas larger-sized arterial and venous cannulas were significantly associated with higher survival rates at discharge in patients with OHCA who received ECMO.