Abstract
Patients in respiratory failure on VV ECMO may develop cardiovascular
dysfunction necessitating additional hemodynamic support, while patients
in cardiovascular failure on VA ECMO may require additional respiratory
support for concurrent gas exchange abnormalities. A hybrid
venoarterio-venous (VA-V) configuration provides both cardiac support
via a traditional arterial reinfusion cannula and respiratory support
via an additional venous reinfusion limb. We describe our single center
experience using VA-V ECMO for patients (n = 14, median age 54) with
combined cardiopulmonary failure or differential hypoxemia. Patients
were treated with ECMO support for a median of 148.2 (IQR 122.6 –
174.4) hours, consisting of 0 (IQR 0 – 1.8) hours of VA and 92.4 (IQR
58 – 115) hours of VA-V followed by 46 (IQR 0 – 95.5) hours of VV
support. Of these 14 patients, 11 survived to decannulation (79%) and 9
survived to hospital discharge (64%).