The use of veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in the octogenarian population: A single-center experience.

INTRODUCTION: Advanced age is a known risk factor for poor outcomes after veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V-A ECMO) for cardiac support. The use of ECMO support in patients over the age of 80 is controversial, and sometimes its use is contraindicated. We aimed to assess the use of ECMO in octogenarian patients to determine survival and complication rates. METHODS: A single-center, retrospective analysis was completed at a large, urban academic medical center. Patients requiring V-A ECMO support between December of 2012 and November of 2019 were included as long as the patient was at least 80 years of age at the time of cannulation. Post cardiotomy shock patients were excluded. RESULTS: A total of 46 patients met eligibility criteria; all received V-A ECMO support. Overall, the majority of patients (71.7%; 33/46) survived to decannulation, and 43.5% (20/46) survived to discharge. Patients who were previously rescued from percutaneous interventions tend to have a better survival than other patients (p = .06). The most common complications were renal and hemorrhagic. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that advanced age alone should not disqualify patients from cannulating and supporting with V-A ECMO.

[Clinical Characteristics and outcomes of adults with COVID-19 admitted to a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit]. / Características y resultados clínicos de adultos graves hospitalizados por COVID-19 en una Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos.

OBJECTIVE: To describe a cohort of critically ill adult patients suffering from COVID-19, admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit managed by a pediatric intensive care team (ICU-MP). PATIENTS AND METHOD: Retrospective observational study of adults admitted to the ICU-MP due to COVID-19 from May 11 to July 26, 2020. Demographic, clinical, biochemical, ventilatory support characteris tics, and complications were recorded. Disease severity was characterized by Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score (APACHE II) using data from the first 24 hours of admission to the ICU-MP. RESULTS: Ninety-three patients over 18 years with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 were admitted to the ICU-MP. The median age was 60.3 years (SD 13.9), and 59 (63.4%) patients were male. Eighty-two (88.1%) patients had at least 1 medical comorbidity. The median APACHE II score was 9.4 points (SD 5.6). Fifty-one (54.8%) patients were invasively ventilated, for a median of 13.7 days (SD 17.9). Inotropic support was used in 45 (48%) patients. Thirty-three (35.5%) patients presented acute kidney injury (AKI) and 14 (15.1%) patients received continuous renal replacement therapy. Twenty-nine (31.2%) patients had healthcare-associated infections. The median ICU-MP stay was 10.8 days (SD 11.8). 25 (26.9%) patients died, ten of them (40%) had adequacy of thera peutic effort. CONCLUSIONS: The mortality rate of critically ill patients with COVID-19 is high. Older patients (> 70 years), those who require invasive mechanical ventilation and who develop AKI are at increased risk of death. Although this is not a comparative study, our mortality rate and complica tions seem to be similar to those reported in adult case series.

Surgically Implanted Impella Device for Patients on Impella CP Support Experiencing Refractory Hemolysis.

The Impella CP (Abiomed Inc., Danvers, MA) is widely used in cardiac catheterization laboratories for patients presenting with cardiogenic shock, but it is also known to cause significant hemolysis. The risk of hemolysis can be reduced by properly positioning the device, ensuring an adequate volume status, and using full anticoagulation strategies; however, in some cases hemolysis persists. We present a case series of eight patients that were diagnosed with cardiogenic shock, underwent Impella CP placement, and then suffered from refractory hemolysis which was treated by upgrading the Impella device to the 5.0 or 5.5 version. Fifty percent (4/8) of the patients in this series were already receiving continuous renal replacement therapy, and the levels of plasma free hemoglobin (pFHb) and lactate dehydrogenase continued to increase after the implantation of the Impella CP. The median time between Impella CP placement and the diagnosis of refractory hemolysis was 16.5 hours (interquartile range [IQR], 8.0-26.0). The median time between the diagnosis of hemolysis to Impella upgrade was 6.0 hours (IQR, 4.0-7.0). A total of 87.5% (7/8) of patients experienced a drop in pFHb to below 40 mg/dl at 72 hours post-Impella upgrade, and they were discharged without any further need of dialysis. One patient expired due to irreversible multiple organ failure. We propose that early identification of hemolysis by close monitoring of pFHb and upgrading to the Impella 5.5 reduces hemolysis, prevents further kidney damage, and significantly improves clinical outcomes.

Renal failure requiring dialysis complicating slow continuous ultrafiltration in acute heart failure: importance of systolic perfusion pressure.

BACKGROUND: Recent reports have raised concerns regarding renal outcomes in patients with decompensated acute heart failure (HF) treated with slow continuous ultrafiltration (SCUF). The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors for renal failure (RF) requiring dialysis in patients with acute HF initiated on SCUF. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied 63 consecutive patients with acute HF who required SCUF because of congestion refractory to hemodynamically guided intensive medical therapy. Median serum creatinine at SCUF initiation was higher in patients who developed RF requiring dialysis [2.5 (interquartile range 1.8-3.3) vs 1.6 (1.2-2.3) mg/dL; P < .001]. Weight loss within 48 hours of SCUF initiation was larger in patients who did not progress to RF [-6 (-10 to -2) vs -4 (-6 to -2) kg; P = .03]. Systolic perfusion pressure had a nonlinear association with RF requiring dialysis, with a threshold effect noted at 90 mm Hg. Twelve-month mortality in patients who were moved to dialysis versus those who were not was 95% versus 35%, respectively (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with acute HF initiated on SCUF, onset of RF requiring dialysis is associated with high mortality. Systolic perfusion pressure which incorporates both perfusion and venous congestion parameters may present a modifiable risk factor for worsening RF during SCUF in acute HF patients.

Prognostic implications of relative hypochromia in ambulatory patients with chronic systolic heart failure.

Iron insufficiency has been associated with heart failure, but the impact of a reduction of hemoglobin content in the erythrocytes as estimated by mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) to myocardial structure, performance, and long-term clinical outcomes has not been well-established. The authors examined hematologic data and long-term outcomes of 197 ambulatory patients with chronic systolic and symptomatic heart failure who underwent comprehensive echocardiographic evaluation. The authors observed that relative hypochromia (defined as low MCHC) was associated with higher natriuretic peptide levels (NT-proBNP, r =-0.40, P<.0001) and lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR; r = 0.45, P <. 0001) and correlated modestly with indices of left and right ventricular diastolic dysfunction (all P<.05), but were not related to left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF, r=0.17, P=.079). After 5 years of follow-up, lower MCHC levels were associated with higher risk of death, transplant, or heart failure hospitalization after adjusting for age, LVEF, eGFR, and New York Heart Association class (hazard ratio, 1.34; 95% confidence interval, 1.04-1.72; P=.025), particularly in those with above-median hemoglobin (>13.8 g/dL; hazard ratio, 2.02; 95% confidence interval, 1.44-2.81, P<.0001). Taken together, the observations imply that physicians should take notice of the presence of relative hypochromia particularly in the absence of anemia in the setting of chronic systolic heart failure.

Cardiorenal outcomes after slow continuous ultrafiltration therapy in refractory patients with advanced decompensated heart failure.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine the clinical outcomes of using slow continuous ultrafiltration (SCUF) in patients with acute decompensated heart failure (HF) refractory to intensive medical therapy. BACKGROUND: Several studies have demonstrated the clinical usefulness of early SCUF in patients with acute decompensated HF to improve fluid overload and hemodynamics. METHODS: We reviewed clinical data from 63 consecutive adult patients with acute decompensated HF admitted to the Heart Failure Intensive Care Unit from 2004 through 2009 who required SCUF because of congestion refractory to hemodynamically guided intensive medical therapy. RESULTS: The mean creatinine level was 1.9 ± 0.8 mg/dl on admission and 2.2 ± 0.9 mg/dl at SCUF initiation. After 48 hours of SCUF, there were significant improvements in hemodynamic variables (mean pulmonary arterial pressure: 40 ± 12 mm Hg vs. 33 ± 8 mm Hg, p = 0.002, central venous pressure: 20 ± 6 mm Hg vs. 16 ± 8 mm Hg, p = 0.007, mean pulmonary wedge pressure: 27 ± 8 mm Hg vs. 20 ± 7 mm Hg, p = 0.02, Fick cardiac index: 2.2 l/min/m(2) [interquartile range: 1.87 to 2.77 l/min/m(2)] vs. 2.6 l/min/m(2) [interquartile range: 2.2 to 2.9 l/min/m(2)], p = 0.0008), and weight loss (102 ± 25 kg vs. 99 ± 23 kg, p < 0.0001). However, there were no significant improvements in serum creatinine levels (2.2 ± 0.9 mg/dl vs. 2.4 ± 1 mg/dl, p = 0.12) and blood urea nitrogen (60 ± 30 mg/dl vs. 60 ± 28 mg/dl, p = 0.97). Fifty-nine percent required conversion to continuous hemodialysis during their hospital course, and 14% were dependent on dialysis at hospital discharge. Thirty percent died during hospitalization, and 6 patients were discharged to hospice care. CONCLUSIONS: In our single-center experience, SCUF after admission for acute decompensated HF refractory to standard medical therapy was associated with high incidence of subsequent transition to renal replacement therapy and high in-hospital mortality, despite significant improvement in hemodynamics.

Pre-operative risk factors and clinical outcomes associated with vasoplegia in recipients of orthotopic heart transplantation in the contemporary era.

BACKGROUND: Patients who underwent orthotopic heart transplant (OHT) can develop vasoplegia, which is associated with high mortality and morbidity. Herein we examine the pre-operative risk in OHT recipients at our institution. METHODS: We reviewed peri-operative data from 311 consecutive adult patients who underwent OHT between January 2003 and June 2008. Vasoplegia was defined as persistent low systemic vascular resistance, despite multiple intravenous pressor drugs at high dose, between 6 and 48 hours after surgery. RESULTS: In our cohort of 311 patients, 35 (11%) patients developed vasoplegia syndrome; these patients were more likely to be UNOS Status 1A, with a higher body surface area (1.8 ± 0.25 vs 1.63 ± 0.36, p = 0.0007), greater history of thyroid disease (38.2% vs 18.5%, p = 0.0075) and a higher rate of previous cardiothoracic surgery (79% vs 48%, p = 0.0006). Pre-operatively, they were more frequently treated with aspirin (73% vs 48%, p = 0.005) and mechanical assist devices (ventricular assist devices [VADs]: 45% vs 17%, p < 0.0001; total artificial hearts: 8.6% vs 0%, p < 0.0001), and less treated with milrinone (14.7% vs 45.8%, p = 0.0005). Bypass time (118 ± 37 vs 142 ± 39 minutes, p = 0.0002) and donor heart ischemic time (191 ± 46 vs 219 ± 51 minutes, p = 0.002) were longer, with higher mortality (3.2% vs 17.1%, p = 0.0003) and morbidity in the first 30 days after transplant. In the multivariate analysis, history of thyroid disease (odds ratio [OR] = 2.7, 95% CI 1.0 to 7.0, p = 0.04) and VAD prior to transplant (OR = 2.8, 95% CI 1.07 to 7.4, p = 0.03) were independent risk factors for development of vasoplegia syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: High body mass index, long cardiopulmonary bypass time, prior cardiothoracic surgery, mechanical support, use of aspirin, and thyroid disease are risk factors associated with development of vasoplegia syndrome.