Caring for Patients Requiring Venous Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: Can Upstream Palliative Care Make a Difference?

Objective: Palliative care consultation is relevant for patients requiring Venous-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (VA-ECMO); however, evidence is limited to support its value. For this population, we compared length of stay (LOS) (primary outcome), operational metrics and goals of care (GOC) frequency before and after a collaboration between cardiothoracic (CT) surgery and Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine (GaP).

Methods: Retrospective chart review of patients (18+) admitted to a quaternary center that required VA-ECMO between 2019-2021 and received GaP consultation. Demographics, LOS, times to consult, illness severity, GOC, and outcomes were analyzed.

Results: 120 patients met inclusion criteria and 64 (53.3%) had GaP consultation. No differences were observed regarding demographics and insertion status (emergent vs elective). Median (IQR) days to GaP consult for 2019, 2020 and 2021 were 6.5 (4.0-14.5), 5.0 (2.0-11.0) and 3.0 (2.0-5.0), respectively ( = .006). Median days from insertion to consult for 2019, 2020 and 2021 were 6.0 (4.0-20.0), 3.0 (1.0-6.0) and 2.0 (1.0-4.0) ( = .003). Among survivors, over the 3-year course, median LOS was not statistically different. Between expired patients, median (IQR) LOS for 2019, 2020, and 2021 was 28.5 (23.0-40.0), 12.0 (8.0-14.0), 11.0 (5.0-17.0) days ( = .013). For patients not seen by GaP, 8 (14.3%) GOC notes were documented, compared with 42 (65.6%) for patients seen. Mortality was similar (53.6% vs 53.1% [GaP]).

Conclusion: For patient on VA-ECMO, early GaP consultation may improve hospital LOS and GOC rates. We suggest organizations consider early palliative integration when instituting mechanical circulatory support.