Lower Oxygen Tension and Intracranial Hemorrhage in Veno-venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation

Introduction and methods: We examined the relationship between 24-h pre- and post-cannulation arterial oxygen tension (PaO₂) and arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO₂) and subsequent acute brain injury (ABI) in patients receiving veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) with granular arterial blood gas (ABG) data and institutional standardized neuromonitoring.

Results: Eighty-nine patients underwent VV-ECMO (median age = 50, 63% male). Twenty (22%) patients experienced ABI; intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) was the most common diagnosis (n = 14, 16%). Lower post-cannulation PaO₂ levels were significantly associated with ICH (66 vs. 81 mmHg, p = 0.007) and a post-cannulation PaO₂ level < 70 mmHg was more frequent in these patients (71% vs. 33%, p = 0.007). PaCO₂ parameters were not associated with ABI. By multivariable logistic regression, hypoxemia post-cannulation increased the odds of ICH (OR = 5.06, 95% CI:1.41-18.17; p = 0.01).

Conclusion: In summary, lower oxygen tension in the 24-h post-cannulation was associated with ICH development. The precise roles of peri-cannulation ABG changes deserve further investigation, as they may influence the management of VV-ECMO patients.