Abstract 264: Traumatic and Hemorrhagic Complications After Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation for Out-of-hospital Cardiac Arrest

Abstract

Introduction: Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) is a rescue therapy for treatment of refractory out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA). We describe the incidence of traumatic and hemorrhagic complications among patients undergoing ECPR for OHCA and the association between CPR duration and ECPR-related injuries or bleeding. Methods: We examined prospectively collected data from the Extracorporeal Resuscitation Outcomes Database (EROD), which includes ECPR-treated OHCAs from participating hospitals (Oct 2014 - Aug 2019). The primary outcome was traumatic or hemorrhagic complications, defined as injury to the chest, abdomen, or vasculature, or bleeding requiring transfusion or surgery. The primary exposure was the cardiac arrest to ECPR initiation interval (CA-ECPR interval), measured as the time from arrest to initiation of ECPR. Descriptive statistics were used to compare demographic, cardiac arrest, and ECPR characteristics among patients with and without CPR-related traumatic or bleeding complications. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the association between CPR duration and traumatic or bleeding complications. Results: A total of 68 patients from 4 hospitals received ECPR for OHCA were entered into EROD and met inclusion criteria. Median age was 51 (IQR 38-58), 81% were male, 40% had BMI > 30, and 70% had pre-existing medical comorbidities. A total of 65% had an initial shockable cardiac rhythm, mechanical CPR was utilized in at least 29% of patients, and 27% were discharged alive. A total of 37% experienced a traumatic or bleeding complication, with major bleeding (32%), vascular injury (18%), and cannula site bleeding (15%) being the most common. Compared to patients with shorter CPR times, patients with a 10 minute longer CA-ECPR interval had 18% (95% CI -2-42%) higher odds of suffering a mechanical or bleeding complication, but this did not reach statistical significance (p=0.08). Conclusions: Traumatic injuries and bleeding complications are common among patients undergoing ECPR. Further study is needed to investigate the relation between arrest duration and complications. Clinicians performing ECPR should anticipate and assess for injuries and bleeding in this high-risk population.