Extracorporeal life support in cardiogenic shock: Impact of acute versus chronic etiology on outcome

Abstract

Background The role of extracorporeal life support (ECLS) in primary cardiogenic shock (PCS) is well established. In this study, we evaluated the impact of etiology on outcomes. Methods Between January 2009 and March 2013, we implanted a total of 249 patients with ECLS; we focused on 64 patients for whom peripheral ECLS was the treatment for PCS. Of these, 37 cases (58%) were "acute" (mostly acute myocardial infarction: 39%); 27 (42%) had an exacerbation of "chronic" heart failure (dilated cardiomyopathy: 30%; post-ischemic cardiomyopathy: 9%; and congenital: 3%). Results In the group with chronic etiology, 23 patients were bridged to a left ventricular assist device (52%) or heart transplan..