Assessment of safety and effectiveness after percutaneous closure for decannulation of Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (VA-ECMO) has emerged as a crucial component of critical care medicine, mainly as a lifesaving intervention for patients experiencing refractory cardiac arrest and respiratory failure.

Background: In the past, VA-ECMO decannulation was surgical and often associated with a high rate of periprocedural complications, such as surgical site infection, bleeding, and patient mobilization costs. To reduce the rate of these adverse events, many percutaneous techniques utilizing suture-mediated closing devices have been adopted. One of those devices is the Perclose Proglide (PP).

Objective: This study's goal was to perform a systematic review to evaluate PP devices' success and complication rates for VA-ECMO decannulation.

Methods: To analyze the outcomes of PP in VA-ECMO decannulation, a systematic review of the most recent literature was conducted. The Medline, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases were systematically searched up to September 2023. The National Health, Blood, and Lung Institute Study quality assessment tools were used.

Results: The final analysis included 10 observational studies comprising 418 patients. The efficacy of PP in VA-ECMO decannulation was 93.0% (95% CI 90.1%-96.0%). In 381 patients, the incidence of acute limb ischemia after VA-ECMO decannulation was 2.5% (95% CI 0.9%-4.%), the infection of the puncture site after decannulation was 1% (95% CI 0%-2%) in 385 patients. The incidence of patients with pseudoaneurysm after decannulation was 1.1% (95% CI 0.1%-2.1%).

Conclusion: This systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the PP for achieving hemostasis after VA-ECMO decannulation, with a high success rate and low rate of major complications.