Unveiling Baseline Clinical Divergence in VA ECMO vs. ECPELLA: Tailoring Treatment for Distinct Patient Profiles. A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Objectives: The benefit of combining multiple mechanical circulatory support (MCS) systems in patients with cardiogenic shock (CS) is debated. This review examines patient characteristics across studies to identify differences and assesses if patients with a higher-risk clinical profile receive Impella unloading.

Design: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to examine if there were significant differences in baseline clinical parameters among patients receiving MCS in addition to venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO).