Current and Future Status of Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation for In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Abstract

Numerous series, propensity-matched trials, and meta-analyses suggest that appropriate use of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (E-CPR) for in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) can be lifesaving. Even with an antecedent cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) duration in excess of 45 minutes, 30-day survival with favourable neurologic outcome using E-CPR is approximately 35%-45%. Survival may be related to age, duration of CPR, or etiology. Associated complications include sepsis, renal failure, limb and neurologic complications, hemorrhage, and thrombosis. However, methodological biases-including small sample size, selection bias, publication bias, and inability to control for confounders-in these series prevent definitive conclusions. As such, the 2015 American Heart Association Advanced Cardiac Life Support guidelines update recommended E-CPR as a Level of Evidence IIb recommendation in appropriate cases. The absence of high-quality evidence presents an opportunity for clinician/scientists to generate practice-defining data through collaborative investigation and prospective trials. A multidisciplinary dialogue is required to standardize the field and promote multicentre investigation of E-CPR with data sharing and the development of a foundation for high-quality trials. The objectives of this review are to (1) provide an overview of the strengths and limitations of currently available studies investigating the use of E-CPR in patients with IHCA and highlight knowledge gaps; (2) create a framework for the standardization of terminology, clinical practice, data collection, and investigation of E-CPR for patients with IHCA that will help ensure congruence in future work in this area; and (3) propose suggestions to guide future research by the cardiovascular community to advance this important field.