The superiority of veno-arterial over veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for operative support of lung transplantation

Background: Veno-arterial (V-A) and veno-venous (V-V) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) are crucial support modalities during lung transplantation, yet their comparative effectiveness remains unclear.

Methods: We conducted an 8-year retrospective analysis of 62 lung transplant recipients who received intraoperative ECMO (29 V-A, 33 V-V). Baseline characteristics, surgical parameters, and clinical outcomes were compared. To address potential selection bias, we employed entropy weighted inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW-EW).

Results: After IPTW-EW adjustment, V-A ECMO was associated with superior hemodynamic and respiratory parameters, including lower systolic pulmonary artery pressure (30 vs. 37 mmHg, p = 0.007), higher arterial oxygen partial pressure (119 vs. 78 mmHg, p = 0.002), and less severe pulmonary edema (Grade 1: 50% vs. 3%, Grade 2: 45% vs. 38%, Grade 3: 5% vs. 59%, p < 0.001). Notably, V-A ECMO demonstrated significantly lower 28-day (5% vs. 29%, p = 0.017) and hospital mortalities (21% vs. 69%, p = 0.035).

Conclusions: V-A ECMO provides superior pulmonary circulation unloading and is associated with improved survival outcomes compared to V-V ECMO in lung transplantation, suggesting its preferential use when clinically appropriate.