Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in Adults With Cardiac Arrest

Abstract

Cardiac arrest (CA) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Despite the use of conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), rates of return of spontaneous circulation and survival with minimal neurologic impairment remain low. Utilization of venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for CA in adults is steadily increasing. Propensity-matched cohort studies have reported outcomes associated with ECMO use to be superior to that of conventional CPR alone in in-hospital patients with CA. In this review, we discuss the mechanism, indications, complications, and evidence for ECMO in CA in adults.