Background: Incidence and impact on adult patients' outcomes of nosocomial infections (NIs) occurring during venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) support for refractory cardiogenic shock have rarely been described.
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of a large series of patients who received VA-ECMO in our intensive care unit (ICU) from January 2003 through December 2009. Incidence, types, risk factors, and impact on outcomes of NIs occurring during ECMO support were analyzed.
Results: Among 220 patients (49 ± 16 years old, simplified acute physiology score (SAPS) II 61 ± 20) who underwent ECMO support for >48 hours for a total of 2942 ECMO days, 142 (64%) developed NIs. Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), bloodstream infections, cannula infections, and mediastinitis infections occurred in 55%, 18%, 10% and 11% of the patients, respectively. More critical condition at ICU admission, but not antibiotics at the time of ECMO cannulation, was associated with subsequently developing NIs (hazard ratio, 0.73; 95% confidence interval [CI], .50-1.05; P = .09). Infected patients had longer durations of mechanical ventilation, ECMO support, and hospital stays. Independent predictors of death were infection with severe sepsis or septic shock (odds ratio, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.26-2.94; P = .002) and SAPS II, whereas immunosuppression and myocarditis as the reason for ECMO support were associated with better outcomes.
Conclusions: Cardiogenic shock patients who received the latest generation VA-ECMO still had a high risk of developing NIs, particularly VAP. Strategies aimed at preventing these infections may improve the outcomes of these critically ill patients.