• Mackenzie A Ford, Kimberlee Gauvreau, D Michael McMullan, Melvin C Almodovar, David S Cooper, Peter T Rycus, and Ravi Thiagarajan.
• 1Department of Cardiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA. 2Department of Anesthesia, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA. 3Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA. 4Division of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA. 5The Heart Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH. 6Extracorporeal Life Support Organization, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
• Pediatr Crit Care Me. 2016 Sep 1; 17 (9): 860-70.

ObjectivesSurvival among neonates supported with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for cardiac indications is 39%. Previous single-center studies have identified factors associated with mortality, but a comprehensive multivariate analysis is not available for this population. Understanding factors associated with mortality may help design treatment strategies, determine optimal timing for cannulation, and inform patient selection. This study identifies factors associated with mortality in neonates supported with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for cardiac indications.DesignRetrospective cohort study.SettingTwo hundred and thirty U.S. and international centers reporting extracorporeal membrane oxygenation data to the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization.SubjectsFour thousand and four seventy one neonates with congenital and acquired cardiac disease supported with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for cardiac indications during 2001-2011.InterventionsNone.Measurements And ResultsThe primary outcome measure was mortality prior to hospital discharge. Overall hospital mortality was 59%. Demographic and preextracorporeal membrane oxygenation factors associated with mortality were evaluated in a multivariable model. Factors associated with death prior to hospital discharge included lower body weight, earlier era, single ventricle physiology, lower preextracorporeal membrane oxygenation arterial pH, and longer time from intubation to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation cannulation. Lower pH was associated with increased mortality regardless of cardiac diagnosis and surgical complexity. The majority of survivors separated from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation less than 8 days after extracorporeal membrane oxygenation deployment.ConclusionsMortality for neonates supported with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for cardiac indications is high. Severity of preextracorporeal membrane oxygenation acidosis was independently associated with increased risk of mortality. Earlier initiation of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation may reduce the degree and duration of acidosis and may improve survival. Further studies are needed to determine optimal timing of cannulation in this population.

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