Improved survival in venovenous vs venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for pediatric noncardiac sepsis patients: a study of the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization registry.

Background/purpose: There are few studies comparing venoarterial (VA) and venovenous (VV) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in pediatric noncardiac sepsis patients.

Methods: Following approval, we reviewed the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization registry data from 1990 to 2008 for patients 0 to 18 years with a diagnosis of sepsis and without diagnosis of congenital heart disease. Survival to discharge was compared between VA and VV ECMO using χ(2) analysis and multivariable logistic regression.