Hematological Complications of Impella as an Unloading Device in Patients with Cardiogenic Shock and Veno-Arterial ECMO. A Systematic Review and Metanalysis

Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) is commonly used in patients with severe cardiogenic shock. However, left ventricular unloading may be impaired due to an increase in afterload caused by VA-ECMO. Impella has surged as an unloading device in this scenario but, its concomitant use with VA-ECMO has been associated with a higher risk of bleeding, hemolysis and acute kidney injury (AKI) requiring renal replacement therapy (RRT) in these patients.
Source: The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation - Category: Transplant Surgery Authors: Tags: 408 Source Type: research