Central vs. Peripheral VA-ECMO Cannulation on Postoperative Graft Dysfunction in Lung Transplantation

frontiersin.org February 13, 2025

Lung transplantation (LTx) is the definitive treatment for end-stage pulmonary diseases, with venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) used as a common perioperative support.

However, it remains unclear if central (cVA-ECMO) or peripheral (pVA-ECMO) cannulation routes yield better outcomes in postoperative prognosis.

This study compares the impact of these two cannulation strategies on primary graft dysfunction (PGD) incidence in LTx patients.: A retrospective analysis was performed on 153 LTx patients supported with VA-ECMO at the Wuxi Lung Transplant Center (January 2019-March 2023).

Patients were divided into central (n = 31) and peripheral (n = 91) groups. Data included recipient/donor demographics, preoperative status, and follow-up outcomes.

The primary outcome was PGD within 72 h after reperfusion, whereas secondary outcomes included in-hospital mortality, 1-year survival, renal support needs, ventilation duration, intensive care unit (ICU) stay, and biochemical markers.