Turning Things Around: The Role of Prone Positioning in the Management of Acute Respiratory Failure After Cardiac Surgery

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the benefit of prone positioning (PP) in patients developing acute respiratory failure (ARF) after cardiac surgery. A retrospective analysis. Review of the institutional database between October 2016 and October 2018 revealed 24 patients who underwent PP for the treatment of ARF after cardiac surgery. The authors found 24 patients who underwent PP for the treatment of ARF after cardiac surgery. This included 10 patients who required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy. Among them, 6 patients with simultaneous PP and ECMO therapy. Data were collected at the time of PP, 6 hours after PP, at the end of PP, and 6 hours after return to supine position (SP). The median duration of postoperative mechanical ventilation was 281 hours (183-528 hours). Prone positioning was carried out on the fourth postoperative day (POD), with a total of 5 patients undergoing PP within 24 hours following surgery. The median duration of PP before return to SP was 12 hours (12-16 hours), with the maximal duration of PP being 22 hours in this cohort. The authors observed an increase in Horowitz index (HI) at the end of PP (p < 0.001) as well as 6 hours after supine positioning. In the subgroup of patients who underwent PP on ECMO (v-a ECLS = 3, v-v ECMO = 3), a significant reduction of ECMO support was achieved from 3.0 (2.2-5.6) liters/min to 2.5 (2.0-4.6) liters/min (p = 0.023). No adverse events occurred during the positioning of the patients. Prone positioning can be considered for the treatment of ARF after cardiac surgery to improve short-term respiratory conditions and possibly facilitate ECMO weaning.