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Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation as a standard of care in the future: a literature review

[version 1; peer review: 1 approved]
PUBLISHED 14 Sep 2023
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Abstract

Background: The use of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) is limited generally to situations where traditional CPR failed to restore a patient's heart rhythm. Although ECPR is not regarded as the standard of care for cardiac arrest patients, it might be a more effective treatment for some forms of cardiac arrest. This literature review explores the efficacy of ECPR as a potential standard of care for cardiac arrest in the future.
Methods: English language publications fulfilling eligibility criteria from 2010 to 2023 were found through a literature search using four electronic databases (PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane, and IEEE Explore). Articles were included in this literature review for fulfilling following criteria: empirical primary studies evaluating ECPR in human subjects with either IHCA or OHCA; articles published in English between 2010 and 2023; articles exploring ECPR in cardiac arrest across all ages of patients.
Results: 12 studies out of 1,092 search results met the inclusion criteria for data extraction and synthesis. Data extracted included the efficacy of ECPR in both IHCA and OHCA patients based on the PICO framework. The quality of study done by NOS (Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale for Cohort Studies) resulted in three studies with moderate quality while nine were of high quality.
Conclusions:  ECPR was associated with neurologically intact survival with favorable neurological outcomes compared to a standard CRP for cardiac arrest patients. This study also demonstrates that, at the moment, ECPR is the most successful in centers with a well-trained multidisciplinary ECMO team of experts. On the other hand, cardiac arrest patients in semi-rural areas and underdeveloped locations are likely to benefit less from ECPR interventions due to the lack of necessary ECPR expertise and infrastructure. Those individuals eligible for ECPR benefit from better neurological outcomes and associated higher survival rates.

Keywords

extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation, ECPR, extracorporeal life support, ECMO, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, in-hospital cardiac arrest

Introduction

Cardiac arrest (CA) is one of the leading causes of death worldwide.1,2 CA prevalence accounts for nearly 350,000 cases in the US,3 and whether out-of-hospital (OHCA)46 or in-hospital CA (IHCA),7,8 cardiac arrest is responsible for the morality of more than half a million individuals every year worldwide.9,10 Although adult CA survival rates have increased over the past 20 years, only just 22% of IHCA patients and less than 10% of OHCA patients survive.11,12 Notably, less than 10% of survivors have satisfactory neurological outcomes when discharged from hospitals despite standardizing basic cardiac resuscitation, post-arrest care, and application with personalized therapies.3,13 Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) is a potentially life-saving therapy for patients in cardiac arrest who otherwise are unresponsive to traditional cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).14,15 ECPR involves cardiopulmonary bypass maintaining circulation and perfusion to vital organs while16 the patient’s body recovers from the underlying condition that caused the cardiac arrest.1719

Currently, ECPR is not considered a standard of care for cardiac arrest patients,20 and it is typically reserved for cases where conventional CPR has failed to restore a patient’s heart rhythm.21,22 There is growing evidence to suggest that ECPR may be a more effective treatment for certain types of cardiac arrest,23 particularly those caused by conditions such as pulmonary embolism, hypothermia, or drug overdose.24 As a result, some healthcare systems consider ECPR as an essential standard of care for cardiac arrest patients.25 For instance, in some parts of the world, emergency medical services have implemented ECPR programs that allow trained responders to perform the procedure on eligible patients in the field.2628 While use of ECPR as a standard of care for cardiac arrest is still the subject of ongoing research, it is clear that this therapy has potential to save many lives. In this regard, our literature review aims to explore the efficacy of ECPR as a potential standard of care for cardiac arrest patients in the future.

Methods

Study design and sources

We adhered to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) standards to prepare this literature review.29 Bibliographic searches were conducted using four electronic databases: PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane, and IEEE Explore.

Search criteria

Using a set of keywords, computerized bibliographic searches were carried out in PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane, and IEEE Explore. The search was limited to English language articles dating from 2010 to 2023. We utilized the following search terms: (“extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation” OR “ECPR” OR “extracorporeal oxygenation” OR “extracorporeal life support” OR “percutaneous cardiopulmonary support” OR “ECMO” OR “extracorporeal circulation”) AND (“cardiopulmonary resuscitation” OR “CPR” OR “conventional CPR” OR “CCPR”) AND (“out-of-hospital cardiac arrest” OR “in-hospital cardiac arrest” OR “cardiac arrest” OR “heart arrest” OR “OHCA” OR “IHCA”).

Eligibility criteria

Articles were included in this literature review for fulfilling following criteria:

  • Empirical primary studies evaluating ECPR in human subjects with either IHCA or OHCA.

  • Articles published in English between 2010 and 2023.

  • Articles exploring ECPR in cardiac arrest across all ages of patients.

Studies were eliminated based on the following exclusion criteria:

  • Secondary sources including other reviews, newspaper articles, magazines, conference proceedings, and unpublished data sets.

  • Non-English language studies.

  • Studies older than 2010.

Data extraction

Each eligible publication’s study characteristics and data were extracted by us in adherence to the PICO framework.30 These characteristics and data included the first author’s name, the publication year, the country of origin, the study’s design, the location of the arrest (OHCA or IHCA), the number of patients, the sex ratio, and the mean age.

Data syntheses and quality evaluation

Authors pooled the findings from the included articles, and the results of all the research under consideration were then available for synthesis and analysis. A modified version of the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale for Cohort Studies was used to rate effectiveness of each study (NOS)31 (Table 1).

Table 1. Shows the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale assessing the quality of the collected studies.

StudySelection (Maximum 5 points)Comparability (Maximum 2 points)Outcome (Maximum 3 points)Total scoreQuality
Bartos et al., 2020324228High
Chandru et al., 2021333115Medium
Djordjevic et al.,2021344116Medium
Iwashita et al., 2020355128High
Kim et al., 2014363238High
Nee et al., 2020373216Medium
Patricio et al., 2019383227High
Poppe et al., 2020394138High
Read et al. 2022404217High
Schober et al., 2017413227High
ter Avest et al., 2022423238High
Yu et al., 2018434116Medium

Results and discussion

Search results

A total of 1,092 pertinent articles were found in the literature search across four electronic databases. The authors eliminated 373 duplicate articles. The remaining articles’ titles and abstracts were scrutinized for the research subject and 338 were excluded as these studies did not meet the research criteria. The remaining 381 articles were reduced to 140 after the inability to retrieve 241, and the remaining 140 were evaluated based on the predetermined eligibility standards. Eventually, only 12 articles met the requirements after being evaluated using the qualifying criteria (Tabulated in study characteristics in Table 2 and Table 3). The other 140 papers were disregarded on the grounds that 26 were published before 2010, 38 were non-English articles, 39 were abstracts and 25 were systematic reviews, letters to the editor, case reports, and magazines. The study selection process is shown in Figure 1.

Table 2. Bibliographic details and Patient characteristics of the12 articles included after qualifying criteria.

Author, yearSetting, nationSample size (N)Type of CASex (Male/Female)Mean age (years)
Bartos et al., 202032University of Minnesota, US160 consecutive VF/VT adult patients and 654 adults in the ALPS trialOHCAECPR - 126/34
ALPS - 528/126
ECPR - 57 ± 1.0
ALPS - 59 ± 0.4
Chandru et al. 202133Western Sydney Local Health District, Australia248 eligible CA comprised 89 VF, 9 VT, 85 PEA, and 57 Asystole.
Bystander CPR = 175
OHCA161/8764 (IQR = 53-75)
Djordjevic et al.,202134University Hospital Cologne, Germany44 patientsOHCA40/453 ± 12
Iwashita et al., 202035Auckland City Hospital, New Zealand328 patientsIHCA97/5363.6 ± 16
Kim et al., 201436Korea University Medical Center, KoreaECPR = 55
CCPR = 444
OHCAECPR - 40/2
CCPR - 285/159
EPCR - 53 (41–68)
CCPR - 69 (56–77)
Nee et al., 202037Charité Berlin, Germany254 consecutive patientsOHCA175/4954 (43–64)
Patricio et al., 201938Erasme University Hospital, Brussels, BelgiumECPR = 112
CCPR = 80
IHCA/OHCAECPR - 83/29
CCPR - 336/523
CCPR - 65 ± 16
ECPR - 54 ± 16
Poppe et al., 202039Vienna, Austria92 patientsIHCA/OHCA72/2048 (14)
Read et al., 202240St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, AustraliaPre-intervention = 27
Pos-intervention = 39
IHCA/OHCAPre - 17/10
Post - 28/11
Pre - 51 (3)
Post - 55 (3)
Schober et al., 201741Medical University of Vienna, Austria239 patientsOHCAECPR = 5/2
CCPR = 173/59
ECPR - 46 (31–59)
CCPR - 60 (50–70)
ter Avest et al., 202242Kings College, UK162 patientsIHCA/OHCAn/s<60
Yu et al., 201843Taiwan University Hospital482 patientsIHCA/OHCA368/11449.4 ± 11.8

Table 3. Study design, objectives, interventions, outcomes, and results with neurological outcomes.

StudyStudy designStudy objectivesInterventionComparatorEvaluated outcome measuresResults
Bartos et al., 202032RSTo investigate the impact of resuscitation time on patient survival and metabolic profile during ECPR for VF/VT OHCAECPRALPS-CPRThe survival rate, resuscitation duration, and metabolic changes.Neurologically favorable survival in ECPR than in ALPS patients (33% versus 23%; P = 0.01) with a longer mean duration (60 minutes versus 35 minutes; P < 0.001)
Chandru et al., 202133OSTo predict the likely future caseload of ECMO at historically "low volume" centers.ECPRBystander CPRROSC rates and survival rates.Survival for VF, VT, PEA, and asystole was 43, 33, 9.4, and 8.7%, respectively. ROSC rates for VF, VT, PEA, and asystole were 64, 66, 55.3, and 42.1%, respectively.
Djordjevic et al.,202134RSECPR outcomes and risk factors for OHCECPRn/sSurvival and risk factors10 (23%) patients discharged and shorter pre-hospital CPR duration (60 (59;60) min (S) vs. 60 (55;90) min (NS), p = 0.07)
Iwashita et al., 202035RSECPR for advanced cardiac supportECPRn/sSurvival and ECPR-eligibilitySeven (10.8%) were eligible, and one survivor
Kim et al., 201436RSTo identify indicators predicting good neurologic outcomes, determine the ideal CPR duration to initiate ECPR as an alternate.ECPRCCPRThe optimal duration and predicting neurologic outcome.CPR of <21 minutes is recommended for a satisfactory neurologic result.
Nee et al., 202037PCSECPR efficacyECPRn/sROSC and survivalSurvivors18 had considerably less acidosis (pH 7.2 (IQR 7.15-7.4) vs. 7.0), and shorter times between collapse and the beginning of ECPR (58 min (IQR 12-85) vs. 90 min (IQR 74-114).
Patricio et al., 201938RSTo compare ECPR and CCPR for patients with refractory CAECPRCCPRROSC, ECMO, survival, and deathThe ROSC rate = 54 min and 22 sec (77/80, 96%) and 54 min and 19 sec (30/80, 38%) for CCPR. the survival rate to ICU discharge was ECPR 18/80 (23%) vs. CCPR 14/80 (18%) (p = 0.42).
Poppe et al., 202039RSValidation of ECPR criteriaECPRn/sECPR eligibility, six criteria checklists.Twenty-seven patients met all criteria and had 30-day survival noticeably higher [OR 6.0 (95% CI 1.78 to 20.19)]. P ¼ 0.004
Read et al. 202240RSEvaluating the relationship between ECPR use, ROSC, and neurologically stable survivalECPRn/sCPC, ROSC, survival, and time to ECMOOHCA to ECMO decreased from 87 (IQR 78-95) to 70 (IQR 69-72) minutes post-intervention (p = 0.002). The median duration from IHCA to ECMO was 40 (IQR 20-75) to 28 (IQR 16-41) minutes (p = 0.134). Pre-survival 25.9% (7/27), post-survival 38.5% (15/39) (p = 0.288).
Schober et al., 201741RSTo assess the qualities of the ECPR-eligible patientsECPRCCPRECPR selection and 180 days survivalECPR patients had shorter pre-CPR intervals (0 vs. 1 min; p = 0.013), faster ED admission (38 vs. 56 min; p = 0.31), and younger (46 vs. 60 years; p = 0.04). Survival to discharge 14 (6%).
ter Avest et al., 202242RSEfficacy of HEMS' OHCA ECPR for IHCAECPRn/sROSC and eligible ECPR patientsROSC was 60 (37%) and 15 (9%) asystole deterioration.
Yu et al., 201843PCSEfficacy of ECPRECPRn/sSurvival, ECMO, and ROSCFavorable outcomes across various subgroups.
af4f4093-2623-46e8-9799-a1e5df151153_figure1.gif

Figure 1. The study selection process.

Quality assessment

The NOS Scale was used to assess the quality of the collected studies and considered ten factors: selection, comparability, and outcome and rating each study on a range of 0 to 10. High-quality observational cohort studies constituted those with 7 or more stars; a score of less than four denotes low quality, a score of five to six suggests moderate quality, a score of seven to eight indicates good quality, and a score of nine to 10 denotes extremely good quality.44 Four studies were deemed moderate quality, while eight were judged to be of high quality. No studies were deemed to be of low quality. The quality assessment score is shown in Table 1.

The main objective of the current literature review is to examine the efficacy of ECPR compared to conventional CPR in patients with cardiac arrest across various settings. In doing so, we aim to establish the effectiveness of ECPR as a future intervention for either IHCA or OHCA patients. We also identified the existing gaps that would require further research. Based on the synthesis of included studies, our review showed that employing ECPR in both IHCA and OHCA is associated with improved survival rate and corresponding positive neurological outcomes compared to conventional CPR. Our review entails a total of twelve studies comprising observational and retrospective studies, analyzing a cumulative of 2,897 IHCA and OHCA patients. Six studies examined ECPR in OHCA, while the remaining six explored IHA and OHCA. The outcome measures evaluated across the studies mainly comprised ROSC (return of spontaneous circulation), survival, neurological outcomes, eligibility for ECPR, and time to extra corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Furthermore, among the 12 studies analyzed, five studies reported an increased long-term neurologically intact survival with the use of ECPR, four of which were OHCA,32,34,37,39 while one evaluated ECPR in IHCA35 (Table 3 in Supplemental Material shows the studies’ design, objectives, interventions, outcomes, and results with neurological outcomes.)

Generally, studies enrolling adult IHCA and OHCA patients reported improved and favorable neurological outcomes associated with ECPR.38,40 A study by Bartos et al. demonstrated that for CPR durations of less than 60 minutes, ECPR was associated with favorable neurological outcomes and survival despite significantly higher metabolic derangement as compared with CCPR.32 Our observations are consistent with findings of another meta-analysis which compared ECPR and CCPR for patients with CA and found that ECPR was related to statistically significant improvement, 30-day survival, and neurologic outcomes for patients with IHCA (RR = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.25-2.06 and RR = 2.69, 95% CI = 1.63-4.46).45 The findings revealed no effect on neurological outcomes and survival with ECPR on OHCA patients.45 However, another study comparing ECPR and CCPR revealed that neurological outcome and survival were the same in both groups for OHCA.46 This finding particularly contradicts the outcomes of the majority of the included studies, which suggest favorable neurological outcomes associated with ECPR relative to CCPR.36,43

The disparities in these results can be attributed to selection bias in meta-analyses which are due to inclusion of studies with recruitment periods spanning a decade, a period in which technological advancements could have changed a lot in this field. For instance, these advancements have seen CPR guidelines being changed twice and the emergence of advanced mechanical CPR equipment becoming widely adopted.47 While our literature review evaluated the criteria under which ECPR should be performed, four studies reported the need to evaluate CA patients for eligibility to see if they fit for ECPR therapy.35,39,41,42 These studies report higher survival associated with carefully selected patients after meeting inclusion criteria.39 These results are significant as they demonstrate the need to make early patient selection conceivable and necessary prior to ECPR therapy. In that regard, Te Avest et al. suggest that one of the factors to consider is the effectiveness of in-hospital ECPR, which appears to be of little importance in rural setups, as potentially ECPR-eligible patients would deteriorate prior to their arrival to the hospital.42 This is imperative since as ECPR awareness grows and pre-hospital mechanical CPR is introduced, it is plausible that not only more ECPR eligible cases will present to the emergency department (ED), but may also predict a rise in ECPR ineligible patients.48

Time to return of spontaneous circulation, ROSC, CPR duration, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation were evaluated as an effect of ECPR in this literature review and were reported in most of included articles. Kim et al. showed that longer durations of CPR were associated with decreased neurological outcomes in CCPR compared to with ECPR.36 In contrast, a significant number of patients who were scheduled for ECPR recovered ROSC before or after hospital admission after receiving prolonged CPR.37 In addition, Patricio et al. showed that the ROSC rates associated with ECPR were significantly higher relative to CCPR (77/80 (96%) vs. 30/80 (38%), (p <0.001)).38 Additionally, ECPR effectively reduced the time from OHCA to ECMO under an ECPR-specific program implementation.40 (Table 3 provided as in Supplemental Material shows the study design, objectives, interventions, outcomes, and results with neurological outcomes.)

Limitations

The majority of the included studies were observational studies and retrospective in design. This literature review demonstrates existence of a research gap with the absence of randomized control trials, which would raise the level and quality of evidence and close knowledge gaps, since the majority of the current knowledge is derived from single-center observations, and the preponderance of the evidence is derived from case series and cohort studies, making it susceptible to publication bias.49 As a result of observational studies’ well-known flaws, it is impossible to draw valid conclusions from primary data due to its high bias risk and potential for producing accurate but false results when combined. This indicates the importance and need for high-quality research that would explore the viability and patient-centered results of employing ECPR in innovative settings, such as via EMS-based or ED-based large, randomized trials, further exploring the usefulness of ECPR for cardiac arrest. Ideally, the design of future research would identify a successful and unified approach to ECPR and develop an algorithm that could be used for both IHCA and OHCA.

Conclusion

Our literature review demonstrates that ECPR has better survival rates and neurological outcomes than standard CPR therapies for CA. ECPR is a development in CPR that allows a bridge to treatment in carefully chosen individuals after meeting the criteria following refractory CA. Furthermore, we establish that individuals who meet the criteria of selection for ECPR are associated with increased neurological outcomes and high survival rates compared to those who are not eligible. This study also demonstrates that, at the moment, ECPR is the most successful in centers with a well-trained multidisciplinary ECMO team of experts. On the other hand, cardiac arrest patients in semi-rural areas and underdeveloped locations are likely to benefit less from ECPR interventions due to the lack of necessary ECPR expertise and infrastructure. Those individuals eligible for ECPR benefit from better neurological outcomes and associated higher survival rates. Therefore, ECPR has the potential to be an effective standard of care for cardiac arrests in the future. There is a need for high quality research in this area to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and efficacy associated with ECPR and the reliability of the findings in our literature review.

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Patel V, Patel S, Saab R et al. Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation as a standard of care in the future: a literature review [version 1; peer review: 1 approved]. F1000Research 2023, 12:1149 (https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.137449.1)
NOTE: If applicable, it is important to ensure the information in square brackets after the title is included in all citations of this article.
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Reviewer Report 25 Jun 2024
Benoît Vivien, SAMU de Paris, Service d'Anesthésie Réanimation, Hôpital Universitaire Necker - Enfants Malades, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France 
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In this manuscript, the authors presented a literature review on the use of ECPR for cardiac arrest, either IHCA or OHCA. From an extended search collecting 1092 papers between 2010 and 2023, they retained 12 studies which met their inclusion ... Continue reading
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Vivien B. Reviewer Report For: Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation as a standard of care in the future: a literature review [version 1; peer review: 1 approved]. F1000Research 2023, 12:1149 (https://doi.org/10.5256/f1000research.150611.r273389)
NOTE: it is important to ensure the information in square brackets after the title is included in all citations of this article.

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Alongside their report, reviewers assign a status to the article:
Approved - the paper is scientifically sound in its current form and only minor, if any, improvements are suggested
Approved with reservations - A number of small changes, sometimes more significant revisions are required to address specific details and improve the papers academic merit.
Not approved - fundamental flaws in the paper seriously undermine the findings and conclusions
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