Quality of life and functional status of patients treated with venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation at 6 months

• Published in: Journal of critical care Vol. 66; pp. 26 - 30
• Main Authors: Kanji, Hussein D., Chouldechova, Alexandra, Harris-Fox, Samantha, Ronco, Juan J., O'dea, Ephraim, Harvey, Chris, Shuster, Constantin, Thiara, Sonny, Peek, Giles J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia Elsevier Inc 01.12.2021; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Activities of daily living; Anxiety; ARDS; Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; Illnesses; Influenza; Intensive care; Mental depression; Mortality; Patients; Post traumatic stress disorder; Quality of life; Questionnaires; Respiratory distress syndrome; Statistical analysis; Variables; Ventilators; Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; ARDS; Quality of life
• ISSN: 0883-9441; 1557-8615; 1557-8615
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jcrc.2021.07.010

Quality of life (QoL) outcomes of patients treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) have been conflicting. This study reports on QoL outcomes for a broad group of ARDS patients managed with up-to-date treatment modalities. We prospectively recruited patients at a quaternary hospital in the United Kingdom from 2013 to 2015 who were treated with ECMO for ARDS. We evaluated their pulmonary function and QoL at 6-months after admission using three QoL instruments: EuroQoL 5D (EQ-5), HADS, and PTSS-14. Forty-three patients included in the analysis had near-normal pulmonary function at 6 months. HADS showed moderate-to-severe anxiety and depression in 32% and 11% of patients, respectively. PTSS-14 showed 29% had signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. EQ-5D showed that 67% of patients had difficulty returning to usual activities, 74% suffered some pain, none reported severe problems and 77% were able to return to work. No clinical or demographic variables were associated with poor 6-month QoL. Patients with ARDS treated with ECMO generally had good QoL outcomes, similar to outcomes reported for patients managed without ECMO. With respect to QoL, VV-EMCO represents a valid treatment modality for patients with refractory ARDS. •ARDS survivors treated with ECMO experience some anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress 6 months after discharge•Most survivors of ECMO support for ARDS were able to return to work at 6-months post hospital discharge•Most survivors of ECMO support for ARDS had near normal pulmonary function at 6-months post hospital discharge•With respect to quality of life, veno-venous ECMO support is a valid treatment modality for refractory ARDS