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Review
. 2021 Aug;36(8):2685-2691.
doi: 10.1111/jocs.15622. Epub 2021 May 12.

Ultrasound-assisted catheter directed thrombolysis for pulmonary embolus during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

Douglas Tran  1 , Nicole Hays  1 , Aakash Shah  1 , Chetan Pasrija  1 , Rafael S Cires-Drouet  2 , Shahab A Toursavadkohi  1 , Michael A Mazzeffi  1 , Daniel L Herr  2 , Ronson J Madathil  1 , James S Gammie  1 , Bartley P Griffith  1 , Kristopher B Deatrick  1 , David J Kaczorowski  1
Affiliations
Review

Ultrasound-assisted catheter directed thrombolysis for pulmonary embolus during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

Douglas Tran et al. J Card Surg. 2021 Aug.

Abstract

Background: Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is the third most common cause of cardiovascular death. For patients who are hemodynamically unstable, veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) support has been shown to provide hemodynamic stability, and allow time for definitive treatment and recovery. Ultrasound-assisted catheter directed thrombolysis (USAT) has the potential to be a safe adjunct and expedite right ventricular (RV) recovery for patients requiring VA-ECMO for PE.

Methods: A review of all VA-ECMO patients from January 2017 to September 2019 was performed. A total of 49 of these patients were cannulated due to a PE. USAT therapy was used as an adjunct in 6 (12%) of these patients. These 6 patients were given standardized USAT therapy with EKOs catheters at 1 mg/h of tissue plasminogen activator with an unfractionated heparin infusion for additional systemic anticoagulation. Outcomes, including in-hospital death, 90-day survival, RV recovery, and complications, were examined in the cohort of patients that received USAT as an adjunct to ECMO.

Results: Median age was 54 years old. Five of the six patients presented with a massive PE and had a PE severity score of Class V. One patient presented with a submassive PE with a Bova score of 2, but was cannulated to VA-ECMO in the setting of worsening RV function. All patients demonstrated recovery of RV function, were free from in-hospital death, and were alive at 90-day follow-up.

Conclusion: Ekosonic endovascular system therapy may be a safe and feasible adjunct for patients on VA-ECMO for PE, and allow for survival with RV recovery with minimal complications.

Keywords: ECMO; EKOS; pulmonary embolism.

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References

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