ABSTRACT
Background Left ventricular overload is frequent under veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, which is associated with a worsening of the prognosis of these patients. Several left heart decompression (LHD) techniques exist. However, there is no consensus on their timing and type. We aimed to describe characteristics and outcomes of patients undergoing LHD and to compare percutaneous atrioseptostomy (PA) to other LHD techniques. Methods and Results Retrospective analysis was conducted of consecutive and prospectively collected patients supported by veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for refractory cardiac arrest or cardiogenic shock between January 2015 and April 2018, with a 90-day follow-up in our tertiary center. Patients were divided according to the presence of LHD, and then according to its type (PA versus others). Thirty-nine percent (n=63) of our patients (n=163) required an LHD. Patients with LHD had lower left ventricular ejection fraction, more ischemic cardiomyopathy, and no drug intoxication-associated cardiogenic shock. PA was frequently used for LHD (41% of first-line and 57% of second-line LHD). PA appears safe and fast to realize (6.3 [interquartile range, 5.8-10] minutes) under fluoroscopic and echocardiographic guidance, with no acute complications. PA was associated with fewer neurological complications (12% versus 38%, P=0.02), no need to insert a second LHD (0% versus 19%, P=0.04), and higher 90-day survival compared with other techniques (42% versus 19%, log-rank test P=0.02), despite more sepsis (96% versus 73%, P=0.02) and blood transfusions (13.5% versus 7%, P=0.01). Multivariate analysis confirms the association between PA and 90-day survival (hazard ratio, 2.53 [1.18-5.45], P=0.019). Conclusions LHD was frequently used for patients supported with veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, especially in cases of ischemic cardiomyopathy and low left ventricular ejection fraction. PA seems to be a safe and efficient LHD technique associated with greater mid-term survival justifying the pursuit of research on this topic.