High-risk Pulmonary Embolism (PE) has an ominous prognosis and requires emergent reperfusion therapy, primarily systemic thrombolysis (ST). In deteriorating patients or with contraindications to ST, Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (VA-ECMO) may be life-saving, as supported by several retrospective studies.

However, due to the heterogeneous clinical presentation (refractory shock, resuscitated cardiac arrest (CA) or refractory CA), the real impact of VA-ECMO in high-risk PE remains to be fully determined.

In this study, we present our centre experience with VA-ECMO for high-risk PE.

From 2008 to 2020, we analyzed all consecutive patients treated with VA-ECMO for high-risk PE in our tertiary 35-bed intensive care unit (ICU).

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