Acoustic Pulse Thrombolysis Complemented by ECMO Improved Survival in
Patients with High-Risk Pulmonary Embolism
Abstract
Background: The optimal treatment of high-risk PE with cardiac arrest is
still controversial although various treatment approaches have been
developed and improved. Here, we present a serie of patients with
high-risk PE showing hemodynamic collapse, who were successfully treated
with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) as an adjunct to EKOS™
acoustic pulse thrombolysis. Method: From April 2016 to June 2020, 29
patients with high-risk PE with cardiac arrest were retrospectively
included. The mean age was 55.3 ± 9.2 years. Twelve (41.3%) patients
were female. All patients had cardiac arrest, either as an initial
presentation or in-hospital after the presentation. All patients
exhibited acute symptoms, computed tomography (CT) evidence of large
thrombus burden, and severe right ventricular dysfunction. Primary
outcome was all-cause 30-day mortality. Results: Twenty-two patients
survived to hospital discharge, with a mean ICU stay of 9.9 ± 1.6 days
(range, 7 to 22 days) and mean length of hospital stay of 23.7 ± 8.5
days (range, 11 to 44 days). Six patients died from refractory shock.
Ninety-day mortality was 24.1% (7/29). The Mean ECMO duration was 3.5 ±
1.1 days and the mean RV/LV ratio decreased from 1.31 ± 0.17 to 0.92 ±
0.11 in patients who survived to discharge. The mean tissue plasminogen
activator (tPA) dose for survivor patients was 20.5 ± 1.6 mg.
Conclusion: Patients with high-risk pulmonary embolism who suffer a
cardiac arrest have high morbidity and mortality. APT complemented by
ECMO could be a successful treatment option for patients who have
high-risk PE with circulatory collapse.