Gender-Dependent Clinical Outcome and Other Predictors of In-Hospital Mortality Following Out-Of-Center Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation and Extracorporeal Life Support: A Single Center Experience

BACKGROUND Out-of-center extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and extracorporeal life support (ECLS) implantation for the treatment of acute cardiorespiratory failure with subsequent transport to a tertiary care center has been introduced successfully into the medical practice. However, due to the very specific and resource intensive nature of this therapeutic concept, it seems important to generate algorithms for adequate patient selection. The aim of our study was to analyze the impact of patients' gender on early clinical outcome in this specific therapeutic scenario. METHODS Ninety-seven consecutive patients treated by out-of-center ECMO/ECLS implantation and subsequent transport and treatment in our tertiary care cardiovascular center within the Hallesche Extracorporeal Life Support Program (HELP) retrospectively were analyzed, regarding the impact of patients' gender on early clinical outcome. RESULTS Mechanical circulatory support successfully was weaned in two-thirds of the male patients. This result was achieved in only one-third of the female patients (59.4% in male vs. 33.3% in female, P = .0267). Overall survival significantly was higher in the male group (62.5% in male versus 30.3% in female, P = .0052). In uni- and multivariate logistic regression analysis, female gender was an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality (uni: OR:3.833, CI:1.597-9.745, P = .0034; multi: OR:3.477, CI:1.146-11.494, P = .0322). Worse outcome also was associated with following independent predictors, age, SOFA score, lactate and ventilation time pre-ECMO/ECLS implantation. CONCLUSION The current study demonstrates a worse early survival for women, following emergent out-of- center ECMO/ECLS implantation and subsequent transport and treatment in our tertiary care cardiovascular center. Gender should be included in patient selection algorithms while basic research approaches are needed to better understand the mechanisms underlying these gender- specific outcome disparities.