Office-Based Steroid Injection for Benign Lesions of the Vocal Folds: Case Series and Review of the Literature.

OBJECTIVES: To present the authors' experience on intralesional steroid injection (ILSI) for benign lesions of the vocal folds and a review of the literature. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. METHODS: The medical records of patients with vocal folds nodules, polyps, Reinke's edema, laryngitis/localized edema, and vocal fold granuloma who underwent ILSI were reviewed. Disease regression was assessed by reviewing the video recordings of laryngeal endoscopy before and after surgery. Subjective and objective voice outcome measures were compared before and after office-based ILSI. RESULTS: Forty-seven patients with 81 lesions were included. The most common lesion treated was Reinke's edema followed by vocal fold nodules. All patients who presented for follow-up (n = 37) had partial or complete regression of their disease. When stratified by disease type, vocal fold polyps showed the highest percentage of complete regression (66.7%) followed by vocal fold nodules (65%). The mean voice handicap index-10 (VHI-10) score of the study group dropped from 16.63 ± 6.95 to 6.21 ± 6.09 points (P < 0.001). Patients with vocal fold polyps had the highest drop in the mean VHI-10 score by 16.66 ± 4.73 (P = 0.026). There was no significant difference in the mean acoustic and aerodynamic parameters before and after office-based steroid injection. CONCLUSIONS: ILSI is an effective treatment modality for benign lesions of the vocal folds leading to partial or complete disease regression and self-reported improvement in voice quality.

Early temporary mechanical circulatory support for cardiogenic shock: Real-life data from a regional cardiac assistance network.

BACKGROUND: Temporary mechanical circulatory support as well as multidisciplinary team approach in a regional care organization might improve survival of cardiogenic shock. No study has evaluated the relative effect of each temporary mechanical circulatory support on mortality in the context of a regional network. METHODS: Prospective observational data were retrieved from patients consecutively admitted with cardiogenic shock to the intensive care units in 3 centers organized into a regional cardiac assistance network. Temporary mechanical circulatory support indication was decided by a heart team, based on the initial shock severity or if shock was refractory to medical treatment within 24 hours of admission. A propensity score for circulatory support use was used as an adjustment co-variable to emulate a target trial. The primary endpoint was in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: Two hundred and forty-six patients were included in the study (median age: 59.5 years, 71.9% male): 121 received early mechanical assistance. The main etiologies were acute myocardial infraction (46.8%) and decompensated heart failure (27.2%). Patients who received early mechanical assistance had more severe conditions than other patients. Their crude in-hospital mortality was 38% and 22.4% in other patients but adjusted in-hospital mortality was not different (hazard ratio 0.91, 95% CI:0.65-1.26). Patients with mechanical assistance had a higher rate of complications than others with longer Intensive Care Unit and hospital stays. CONCLUSIONS: In the conditions of a cardiac assistance regional network, in-hospital mortality was not improved by early mechanical assistance implantation. A high incidence of complications of temporary mechanical circulatory support may have jeopardized its potential benefit.

Spontaneous Oropharyngeal Bleeding Caused by Lingual Artery Pseudo-Aneurysm.

Spontaneous oropharyngeal bleeding is an uncommon but serious medical emergency mainly caused by accidental trauma or post-tonsillectomy. In extremely rare cases, it can be attributed to arterial pseudoaneurysm (PA) of head and neck vessels. The authors present the case of a young female patient presenting with recurring spontaneous oropharyngeal bleeding who was found to have a lingual artery PA on angiography. Due to the active nature of the hemorrhage and extensive blood loss, embolization of the tonsillar branch of the lingual artery was successfully performed. When evaluating patients with spontaneous oropharyngeal bleeding, one should suspect the presence of an arterial PA, especially if the bleeding recurs following initial conventional interventions.

Complications in patients with cardiogenic shock on veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy: distribution and relevance. Results from an international, multicentre cohort study.

AIMS: Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy (VA-ECMO) restores circulation and tissue oxygenation in cardiogenic shock (CS) patients, but can also lead to complications. This study aimed to quantify VA-ECMO complications and analyse their association with overall survival as well as favourable neurological outcome (cerebral performance categories 1 + 2). METHODS AND RESULTS: All-comer patients with CS treated with VA-ECMO were retrospectively enrolled from 16 centres in four countries (2005-2019). Neurological, bleeding, and ischaemic adverse events (AEs) were considered. From these, typical VA-ECMO complications were identified and analysed separately as device-related complications. n = 501. Overall, 118 were women (24%), median age was 56.0 years, median lactate was 8.1 mmol/L. Acute myocardial infarction caused CS in 289 patients (58%). Thirty-days mortality was 40% (198/501 patients). At least one device-related complication occurred in 252/486 (52%) patients, neurological AEs in 108/469 (23%), bleeding in 192/480 (40%), ischaemic AEs in 123/478 (26%). The 22% of patients with the most AEs accounted for 50% of all AEs. All types of AEs were associated with a worse prognosis. Aside from neurological ones, all AEs and device-related complications were more likely to occur in women; although prediction of AEs outside of neurological AEs was generally poor. CONCLUSION: Therapy and device-related complications occur in half of all patients treated with VA-ECMO and are associated with a worse prognosis. They accumulate in some patients, especially in women. Aside from neurological events, identification of patients at risk is difficult, highlighting the need to establish additional quantitative markers of complication risk to guide VA-ECMO treatment in CS.

Effect of Diabetes Mellitus type 2 on Voice: A systematic review and Meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Diabetes Mellitus type 2 is a growing health concern that affects several systems in the body among which the phonatory apparatus. Voice may be affected in view of the high prevalence of myopathy and neuropathy in diseased subjects. The authors aim to answer the following question: Does type 2 diabetes have an effect on voice? METHODS: The systematic review included search terms such as "speech, voice, larynx, glucose, diabetes, and hyperglycemia". The search strategy yielded 221 articles, only five of which satisfied the inclusion criteria. Articles were considered for inclusion using the PRISMA method. Analysis included 321 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and 171 controls. All studies included were case control studies except for one study which was an observational cohort. Six parameters were chosen as endpoints for the systematic review and meta-analysis: the presence/absence of voice complaints, fundamental frequency (fo), jitter, shimmer, noise to harmonic ratio (NHR) and maximum phonation time. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the prevalence of voice complaints (i.e., hoarseness) between diabetic patients and control groups. There was also no significant difference in any of the acoustic and aerodynamic measures between patients with type 2 diabetes and controls. These findings can be ascribed the high resilience of the laryngeal muscles to the adverse effect of systemic diseases. CONCLUSION: There is no consensus in the literature that the prevalence of voice symptoms in diabetic patients is significantly higher than that reported in healthy subjects.

Timing of Active Left Ventricular Unloading in Patients on Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Therapy.

BACKGROUND: It is currently unclear if active left ventricular (LV) unloading should be used as a primary treatment strategy or as a bailout in patients with cardiogenic shock (CS) treated with venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO). OBJECTIVES: This study sought to evaluate the association between timing of active LV unloading and implantation of VA-ECMO with outcomes of patients with CS. METHODS: Data from 421 patients with CS treated with VA-ECMO and active LV unloading at 18 tertiary care centers in 4 countries were analyzed. Patients were stratified by timing of device implantation in early vs delayed active LV unloading (defined by implantation before up to 2 hours after VA-ECMO). Adjusted Cox and logistic regression models were fitted to evaluate the association between early active LV unloading and 30-day mortality as well as successful weaning from ventilation. RESULTS: Overall, 310 (73.6%) patients with CS were treated with early active LV unloading. Early active LV unloading was associated with a lower 30-day mortality risk (HR: 0.64; 95% CI: 0.46-0.88) and a higher likelihood of successful weaning from ventilation (OR: 2.17; 95% CI: 1.19-3.93) but not with more complications. Importantly, the relative mortality risk increased and the likelihood of successful weaning from ventilation decreased almost proportionally with the time interval between VA-ECMO implantation and (delayed) initiation of active LV unloading. CONCLUSIONS: This exploratory study lends support to the use of early active LV unloading in CS patients on VA-ECMO, although the findings need to be validated in a randomized controlled trial.

Mental Health of LGBTQ Individuals Who are Arab or of an Arab Descent: A Systematic Review.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals are at a higher risk of mental illness when compared to their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts. Most research emanates from Western countries, with a paucity of studies in the Arab world. We systematically reviewed studies assessing the mental health of LGBTQ individuals who live in the Arab world or are of Arab descent. Of 261 articles, seven were eligible for analysis. Depression was the most common psychiatric disorder. Suicidal ideations and attempts were frequent in trans women. Post-traumatic stress disorder was also common, with the majority of precipitating traumatic events being related to sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Societal and familial stressors in the Arab culture are major contributors to the increased vulnerability of the LGBTQ community to mental health challenges. Further research is of utmost need while taking into consideration the Arab socio-cultural context.

Mania associated olfactory dysfunction: A comparison between bipolar subjects in mania and remission.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the olfactory functions of patients with bipolar disorder in manic phase and to compare them to those of bipolar subjects in remission and healthy controls. METHODS: We recruited 96 participants divided in 3 groups: bipolar mania (MB), euthymic bipolar in remission (EB) and healthy controls (HC). All participants underwent an assessment of their olfactory functions using the Sniffin' sticks threshold and identification tests. Odors' pleasantness, intensity, familiarity and emotion were assessed. All participants were screened for the presence of psychiatric disorder through the MINI questionnaire. Clinical evaluation explored dimensions of mania, depression, anxiety respectively through YMRS, MADRS and STAI scales. Anhedonia was explored through the Chapman physical and social anhedonia questionnaire. RESULTS: Patients in mania had deficits in identifying positive smells compared to bipolar subjects in remission and to healthy controls (MB < EB < HC; p < 0.001). Hedonic (MB < EB = HC; p < 0.001) and emotional (MB < EB = HC; p < 0.001) ratings of positive smells were lower in patients in manic phase compared to remitted subjects or controls. Mania was associated to higher emotion rating of negative smells compared to remitted subjects and controls (MB > EB = HC; p < 0.001). There was no difference between the 3 groups in the ratings of intensity and familiarity of smells, as well as in the olfactory threshold testing. The 3 groups showed no difference in the identification of negative smells. CONCLUSIONS: Patients in manic episodes showed deficits in identifying positive odors. They evaluated these smells as less pleasant and less emotional compared to remitted bipolar subjects and healthy controls. These olfactory dysfunctions may constitute potential indicators of manic state. The persistence of olfactory dysfunction in remission phase (deficit in the olfactory identification of positive odors compared to healthy controls) may constitute a potential trait indicator of bipolarity.

Simplified TAVR Procedure: How Far Is It Possible to Go?

Increasing operators' experience and improvement of the technique have resulted in a drastic reduction in complications following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in patients with lower surgical risk. In parallel, the procedure was considerably simplified, with a routine default approach including local anesthesia in the catheterization laboratory, percutaneous femoral approach, radial artery as the secondary access, prosthesis implantation without predilatation, left ventricle wire pacing and early discharge. Thus, the "simplified" TAVR adopted in most centers nowadays is a real revolution of the technique. However, simplified TAVR must be accompanied upstream by a rigorous selection of patients who can benefit from a minimalist procedure in order to guarantee its safety. The minimalist strategy must not become dogmatic and careful pre-, per- and post-procedural evaluation of patients with well-defined protocols guarantee optimal care following TAVR. This review aims to evaluate the benefits and limits of the simplified TAVR procedure in a current and future vision.

Rapid tranquillisation in a psychiatric emergency hospital in Lebanon: TREC-Lebanon - a pragmatic randomised controlled trial of intramuscular haloperidol and promethazine v. intramuscular haloperidol, promethazine and chlorpromazine.

BACKGROUND: Agitated patients constitute 10% of all emergency psychiatric treatment. Management guidelines, the preferred treatment of clinicians differ in opinion and practice. In Lebanon, the use of the triple therapy haloperidol plus promethazine plus chlorpromazine (HPC) is frequently used but no studies involving this combination exists. METHOD: A pragmatic randomised open trial (September 2018-July 2019) in the Lebanese Psychiatric Hospital of the Cross in Beirut Lebanon involving 100 people requiring urgent intramuscular sedation due to aggressive behaviour were given intramuscular chlorpromazine 100 mg plus haloperidol 5 mg plus promethazine 25 mg (HPC) or intramuscular haloperidol 5 mg plus promethazine 25 mg. RESULTS: Primary outcome data were available for 94 (94%) people. People allocated to the haloperidol plus promethazine (HP) group showed no clear difference at 20 min compared with patients allocated to the HPC group [relative risk (RR) 0.84, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.47-1.50]. CONCLUSIONS: Neither intervention consistently impacted the outcome of 'calm', or 'asleep' and had no discernible effect on the use of restraints, use of additional drugs or recurrence. If clinicians are faced with uncertainty on which of the two intervention combinations to use, the simpler HP is much more widely tested and the addition of chlorpromazine adds no clear benefit with a risk of additional adverse effects.

Idarucizumab (Praxbind®) for dabigatran reversal in patients undergoing heart transplantation: a cohort of ten patients.

BACKGROUND: Novel oral anticoagulants are used in atrial fibrillation. Idarucizumab has been approved for reversal of dabigatran in situations of life-threatening hemorrhage or emergency surgery. OBJECTIVES: We report a single center experience of ten patients on dabigatran therapy who were given idarucizumab prior to heart transplantation. METHODS & RESULTS: The mean plasma concentration of dabigatran prior to reversal was 139 ± 89 ng/ml. Hemoglobin, hematocrit and platelet levels were decreased after surgery. Surgical procedures were successfully performed with no increased risk, especially regarding bleeding complications. All patients were alive after 90 days. CONCLUSION: Dabigatran reversal with idarucizumab in contexts of emergency surgery/urgent procedures is an attractive and safe option to be taken into consideration for patients with end stage heart disease awaiting transplantation and indication of anticoagulant therapy.

Interstitial Lung Disease Worsens Short- and Long-Term Outcomes of Systemic Rheumatic Disease Patients Admitted to the ICU: A Multicenter Study.

Critically ill patients with systemic rheumatic diseases (SRDs) have a fair prognosis, while those with interstitial lung disease (ILD) have a poorer outcome. However, the prognosis of SRD patients with ILD admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) remains unclear. We conducted a case-control study to investigate the outcomes of critically ill SRD-ILD patients. Consecutive SRD-ILD patients admitted to five ICUs from January 2007 to December 2017 were compared to SRD patients without ILD. Mortality rates were compared between groups, and prognostic factors were then identified. One hundred and forty critically ill SRD patients were included in the study. Among the 70 patients with SRD-ILD, the SRDs were connective tissue diseases (56%), vasculitis (29%), sarcoidosis (13%), and spondylarthritis (3%). Patients were mainly admitted for acute exacerbation of SRD-ILD (36%) or infection (34%). ICU, in-hospital, and one-year mortality rates in SRD-ILD patients were higher than in SRD patients without ILD (n = 70): 40% vs. 16% (p < 0.01), 49% vs. 19% (p < 0.01), and 66% vs. 40% (p < 0.01), respectively. Hypoxemia, high sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, and admission for ILD acute exacerbation were associated with ICU mortality. In conclusion, ILD worsened the outcomes of SRD patients admitted to the ICU. Admissions related to SRD-ILD acute exacerbation and the severity of the acute respiratory failure were associated with ICU mortality.

Left Ventricular Unloading Is Associated With Lower Mortality in Patients With Cardiogenic Shock Treated With Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: Results From an International, Multicenter Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) is increasingly used to treat cardiogenic shock. However, VA-ECMO might hamper myocardial recovery. The Impella unloads the left ventricle. This study aimed to evaluate whether left ventricular unloading in patients with cardiogenic shock treated with VA-ECMO was associated with lower mortality. METHODS: Data from 686 consecutive patients with cardiogenic shock treated with VA-ECMO with or without left ventricular unloading using an Impella at 16 tertiary care centers in 4 countries were collected. The association between left ventricular unloading and 30-day mortality was assessed by Cox regression models in a 1:1 propensity score-matched cohort. RESULTS: Left ventricular unloading was used in 337 of the 686 patients (49%). After matching, 255 patients with left ventricular unloading were compared with 255 patients without left ventricular unloading. In the matched cohort, left ventricular unloading was associated with lower 30-day mortality (hazard ratio, 0.79 [95% CI, 0.63-0.98]; P=0.03) without differences in various subgroups. Complications occurred more frequently in patients with left ventricular unloading: severe bleeding in 98 (38.4%) versus 45 (17.9%), access site-related ischemia in 55 (21.6%) versus 31 (12.3%), abdominal compartment in 23 (9.4%) versus 9 (3.7%), and renal replacement therapy in 148 (58.5%) versus 99 (39.1%). CONCLUSIONS: In this international, multicenter cohort study, left ventricular unloading was associated with lower mortality in patients with cardiogenic shock treated with VA-ECMO, despite higher complication rates. These findings support use of left ventricular unloading in patients with cardiogenic shock treated with VA-ECMO and call for further validation, ideally in a randomized, controlled trial.

Pulse pressure and end-tidal carbon dioxide for monitoring low native cardiac output during veno-arterial ECLS: a prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: Veno-arterial extracorporeal life support (VA-ECLS) results in cardiopulmonary shunting with reduced native cardiac output (NCO). Low NCO occurrence is common and associated with risk of thromboembolic and pulmonary complications. Practical tools for monitoring NCO during VA-ECLS would therefore be valuable. Pulse pressure (PP) and end-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2) are known to be related to cardiac output. We have designed a study to test whether PP and EtCO2 were efficient for the monitoring of NCO during VA-ECLS. METHODS: In this prospective single-center observational study, patients who underwent a VA-ECLS for cardiogenic shock from January 2016 to October 2017 were included, provided low NCO was suspected by a PP < 20 mmHg. NCO was measured with pulmonary artery catheter or echocardiography and compared to PP and EtCO2. The ability of PP and EtCO2 to predict NCO < 1 L/min was evaluated with receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves. RESULTS: Among the 106 patients treated with VA-ECLS for cardiogenic shock during the study period, 26 were studied, allowing the collection of 196 study points. PP and EtCO2 relationships with NCO were nonlinear and showed strong correlations for NCO < 2 L/min (r = 0.69 and r = 0.78 respectively). A PP < 15 mmHg and EtCO2 < 14 mmHg had good predictive values for detecting NCO < 1 L/min (area under ROC curve 0.93 [95% CI 0.89-0.96] and 0.97 [95% CI 0.94-0.99] respectively, p = 0.058). CONCLUSIONS: PP and EtCO2 may offer an accurate real-time monitoring of low NCO events during VA-ECLS support. Further studies are needed to show if their utilization may help to implement therapeutic strategies in order to prevent thromboembolic and respiratory complications associated with VA-ECLS, and to improve patients' prognosis. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03323268 , July 12, 2016.

Can atypical dysgeusia in depression be related to a deafferentation syndrome?

Atypical dysgeusia such as having the sensation of a sweet tooth is an uncommon clinical presentation in severe depression. First, we present the case of a 67 year-old-man admitted to the psychiatric ward for depression after a suicide attempt by drug ingestion. The patient manifested a sweet taste sensation in the upper and lower gums that increased with mood swings and notably with severe depressive symptoms. Blood tests showed an elevated serum creatinine level (115 µmol/L), a normocytic anemia (hemoglobin 6.5 mmol/L; MCV 96 fL) and a deficit in vitamin B12 (122.4 pmol/L). The patient received vitamin B12 supplementation and was treated with clomipramine, lithium, mirtazapine, modafinil, and olanzapine. He was discharged after improvement of his depressive symptoms and decrease in the sweet taste. On follow-up, the patient's dysgeusia had subsided. Second, we hypothesize that the atypical dysgeusia may have been induced by vitamin B12 deficiency and medical comorbidities, leading to deafferentation (development of erroneous mouth mucosae sensations felt by the patient). This could have been increased by depression. Dysgeusia in elederly patients with depression should be extensively investigated in order to elucidate somatic contributing factors but it may not resolve until improvement of the depressive symptoms.

One-Year Outcome of Critically Ill Patients With Systemic Rheumatic Disease: A Multicenter Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Critically ill patients with systemic rheumatic disease (SRD) have benefited from better provision of rheumatic and critical care in recent years. Recent comprehensive data regarding in-hospital mortality rates and, most importantly, long-term outcomes are scarce. RESEARCH QUESTION: The aim of this study was to assess short and long-term outcome of patients with SRD who were admitted to the ICU. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: All records of patients with SRD who were admitted to ICU between 2006 and 2016 were reviewed. In-hospital and one-year mortality rates were assessed, and predictive factors of death were identified. RESULTS: A total of 525 patients with SRD were included. Causes of admission were most frequently shock (40.8%) and acute respiratory failure (31.8%). Main diagnoses were infection (39%) and SRD flare-up (35%). In-hospital and one-year mortality rates were 30.5% and 37.7%, respectively. Predictive factors that were associated with in-hospital and one-year mortalities were, respectively, age, prior corticosteroid therapy, simplified acute physiology score II ≥50, need for invasive mechanical ventilation, or need for renal replacement therapy. Knaus scale C or D and prior conventional disease modifying antirheumatic drug therapy was associated independently with death one-year after ICU admission. INTERPRETATION: Critically ill patients with SRD had a fair outcome after an ICU stay. Increased age, prior corticosteroid therapy, and severity of critical illness were associated significantly with short- and long-term mortality rates. The one-year mortality rate was also associated with prior health status and conventional disease modifying antirheumatic drug therapy.

Management of advanced heart failure: a review.

INTRODUCTION: Heart failure (HF) has become a global pandemic. Despite recent developments in both medical and device treatments, HF incidences continues to increase. The current definition of HF restricts itself to stages at which clinical symptoms are apparent. In advanced heart failure (AdHF), it is universally accepted that all patients are refractory to traditional therapies. As the number of HF patients increase, so does the need for additional treatments, with an increased proportion of patients requiring advanced therapies. Areas covered: This review discusses extensive evidence for the effect of medical treatment on HF, although the data on the effect on AdHF is scare. Authors review the relevant literature for treating AdHF patients. Furthermore, mechanical circulatory devices (MCD) have emerged as an alternative to heart transplantation and have been shown to enhance quality of life and reduce mortality therefore authors also review the current literature on the different MCD and technologies. Expert commentary: More patients will need advanced therapies, as the access to heart transplantation is limited by the number of available donors. AdHF patients should be identified timely since the window of opportunities for advanced therapy is narrow as their morbidity is progressive and survival is often short.

Vocal tract symptoms: Severity and frequency in patients on statins.

The objective of the study was to analyze the frequency and severity of vocal tract symptoms in patients on statins. A total of 73 patients were enrolled in this study, 44 patients who were taking statins and 29 controls not taking statins. The severity and frequency of vocal tract discomfort was assessed using the Vocal Tract Discomfort scale. The most frequent vocal tract symptom in patients on statins was dryness followed by tightness and lump sensation. The difference in the mean of the total score and in the mean frequency of any vocal tract symptom was not significant between patients taking statins and controls. The most severe (highest mean values) vocal tract symptom in patients taking statins also was dryness followed by tightness and lump sensation. The difference in the mean of the total score and in the mean severity of any vocal tract symptom between patients taking statins and controls was not significant. This study failed to demonstrate a higher prevalence or severity of vocal tract symptoms in patients receiving statins. Despite the lack of a significant difference in the means of vocal tract discomfort symptom frequency and severity, this study carries clinical significance when considering that a higher prevalence and severity of vocal tract discomfort symptoms should alert physicians to the possible development of statin-induced myotoxicity in the laryngopharyngeal complex.

Effect of Impella During Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation on Pulmonary Artery Flow as Assessed by End-Tidal Carbon Dioxide.

Peripheral veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO) exposes the patient to a pulmonary blood flow bypass and a left ventricle afterload increase. Impella, a catheter-mounted microaxial rotary pump, has been proposed for left ventricle (LV) unloading in combination with VA ECMO. In order to assess the effect of Impella on pulmonary flow and LV preload, we checked Doppler pulmonary artery velocity-time integral (pVTI) and LV diastolic diameter (LVED) by transesophageal echocardiography and end-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2) during a step-by-step increase in Impella flow (Impella ramp test). From 134 patients on VA ECMO retrieved from our database, 27 (20%) have benefited secondary Impella implantation, out of which 11 patients had available EtCO2, pVTI, and LVED measurements at various levels of Impella speeds. We observed a proportional increases in pVTI and EtCO2 and decrease in LVED (p ≤ 0.001) during Impella flow increase. There was a significant correlation between EtCO2 and pVTI (Pearson correlation coefficient 0.64; p = 0.006). The study shows that Impella improves pulmonary flow, an effect that can be easily measured by EtCO2 monitoring, and ensures LV discharge, allowing adapting Impella flow adequately to patient's individual needs.