Rationale: Patients with interstitial lung disease and acute respiratory failure have a poor prognosis especially if mechanical ventilation is required.
Objectives: To investigate the outcome of patients with acute respiratory failure in interstitial lung disease undergoing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) as a bridge to recovery or transplantation.
Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of all patients with interstitial lung disease and acute respiratory failure treated with or without ECMO from March 2012 to August 2015.
Measurements and main results: Forty patients with interstitial lung disease referred to our intensive care unit for acute respiratory failure were included in the analysis. Twenty-one were treated with ECMO. Eight patients were transferred by air from other hospitals within a range of 320 km (linear distance) for extended intensive care including the option of lung transplant. In total, 13 patients were evaluated, and eight were finally found to be suitable for lung transplantation from an ECMO bridge. Four patients from external hospitals were de novo listed during acute respiratory failure. Six patients underwent lung transplant, and two died on the waiting list after 9 and 63 days on ECMO, respectively. A total of 14 of 15 patients who did not undergo lung transplantation (93.3%) died after 40.3 ± 27.8 days on ECMO. Five out of six patients (83.3%) receiving a lung transplant could be discharged from hospital.
Conclusions: ECMO is a lifesaving option for patients with interstitial lung disease and acute respiratory failure provided they are candidates for lung transplantation. ECMO is not able to reverse the poor prognosis in patients that do not qualify for lung transplantation.
Keywords: acute respiratory failure; extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; interstitial lung disease; lung transplant.