Left Ventricular Unloading in Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A Clinical Perspective Derived from Basic Cardiovascular Physiology.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To present an abridged overview of the literature and pathophysiological background of adjunct interventional left ventricular unloading strategies during veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V-A ECMO). From a clinical perspective, the mechanistic complexity of such combined mechanical circulatory support often requires in-depth physiological reasoning at the bedside, which remains a cornerstone of daily practice for optimal patient-specific V-A ECMO care. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent conventional clinical trials have not convincingly shown the superiority of V-A ECMO in acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock as compared with medical therapy alone. Though, it has repeatedly been reported that the addition of interventional left ventricular unloading to V-A ECMO may improve clinical outcome. Novel approaches such as registry-based adaptive platform trials and computational physiological modeling are now introduced to inform clinicians by aiming to better account for patient-specific variation and complexity inherent to V-A ECMO and have raised a widespread interest. To provide modern high-quality V-A ECMO care, it remains essential to understand the patient's pathophysiology and the intricate interaction of an individual patient with extracorporeal circulatory support devices. Innovative clinical trial design and computational modeling approaches carry great potential towards advanced clinical decision support in ECMO and related critical care.

Impact of loop diuretic dosage in a population of patients with acute heart failure: a retrospective analysis.

Background: Loop diuretics are essential for managing congestion in acute heart failure (AHF) patients, but concerns exist about their dosing and administration. This study aims to explore the relationship between aggressive diuretic treatment and clinical outcomes in AHF patients. Methods: We randomly selected 370 AHF patients from admissions at Maastricht University Medical Center between January 2011 and March 2017. Patients were divided into four quartiles based on diuretic doses administrated during index hospitalization. The primary endpoint was a composite of cardiovascular (CV) rehospitalization or death at 1 year. Results: 42.4% of patients experimented the primary outcome The composite endpoint rates were 35.4%, 41.6%, 38.5%, and 54.9%, respectively, from lowest to highest dose quartiles (p = 0.033). In univariate analysis, the outcome was significantly lower in the first three quartiles as compared to the fourth quartile. One-year CV mortality was 9.1%, 10.1%, 20.9% and 27.2%, respectively (p = 0.002). After adjusting for confounders, the association between loop diuretic dosage disappeared for both the primary outcome and one-year CV mortality. Most secondary outcomes and endpoints at 3 months, including worsening renal function, showed no significant differences between groups, while hypokaliemia occurrence, length of hospital stay and weight loss at index admission were higher in the fourth quartile compared to the first one. Conclusions: High loop diuretic doses are associated with poor outcomes in AHF patients, reflecting disease severity rather than harm from aggressive diuretic use. Furthermore, high diuretic doses do not seem to negatively affect kidney function.

ECPella: Concept, Physiology and Clinical Applications.

Addition of Impella on top of venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) has gained wide interest as it might portend improved outcomes in patients with cardiogenic shock. This has been consistently reported in retrospective propensity-matched studies, case series, and meta-analyses. The pathophysiologic background is based on the mitigation of ECMO-related side effects and the additive benefit of myocardial unloading. In this perspective, thorough knowledge of these mechanisms is required to optimize the management of mechanical circulatory support with this approach and introduce best practices, as the interplay between the two devices and the implantation-explantation strategies are key for success.