Background: Vascular complications are common and can be fatal even after successful decannulation in patients with peripherally cannulated veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO). Therefore, we aimed to accurately determine the incidence of arterial complications assessed by Duplex ultrasound following peripheral VA-ECMO decannulation. In addition, we investigated the predictors of severe complications requiring intervention.
Methods and results: We retrospectively reviewed 1,350 adult patients who underwent ECMO between January 2012 and April 2023. Of 839 patients treated with peripherally cannulated VA-ECMO, 596 were successfully weaned off and 212 underwent Duplex ultrasound for final analysis. The primary outcome was arterial complications requiring vascular intervention. Thirty-three (15.6%) patients experienced such complications after decannulation. Acute limb ischemia due to thrombotic occlusion was the most common complication, occurring in 23 (10.8%) patients, followed by stenosis (3.8%), pseudoaneurysm (3.8%), arteriovenous fistula (0.9%), and dissection (0.9%). No significant differences in complication rates were found between the percutaneous and surgical decannulation groups in the propensity score-matched population (12.7% vs. 15.9%, respectively; P=0.799). Multivariable analysis revealed disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC; odds ratio 2.6; 95% confidence interval 1.17-5.69; P=0.019) as the only predictor of arterial complications after decannulation.
Conclusions: Arterial complications requiring vascular intervention frequently occur following successful weaning from VA-ECMO regardless of the decannulation strategy. In this setting, DIC appears to be associated with an increased rate of arterial complications.
Keywords: Duplex ultrasound; Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; Vascular complication.