Weeks alive and out of hospital among adult ECMO survivors: a multicentre registry-based study

To describe the one-year clinical trajectories and healthcare utilisation of adult patients receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Retrospective, multicentre, population-based cohort study, including adult patients (≥ 18 years) who received venovenous (VV-) ECMO, venoarterial (VA-) ECMO, or extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (eCPR) in public hospitals in Hong Kong between January 2010 and August 2024. Patients were followed for one year from ECMO initiation. The primary outcome was time alive and out of hospital. A total of 1,617 patients (635 VV-ECMO, 616 VA-ECMO, 366 eCPR) were included. The median (interquartile range [IQR]) age was 56 (45–64) years. Survival to hospital discharge varied by ECMO modality: 66.5% for VV-ECMO, 46.9% for VA-ECMO, and 28.1% for eCPR. Notably, survival was sustained after hospital discharge across ECMO modalities, with one-year survival rates of 64.6%, 45.1%, and 27.3%, respectively. Among the 814 hospital survivors, the median (IQR) time spent alive and out of hospital in the year after ECMO initiation was 45.3 (38.7–48.3) weeks (VV-ECMO), 45.4 (39.1–48.4) weeks (VA-ECMO), and 46.3 (37.7–48.7) weeks (eCPR). However, among hospital survivors, 29.5% had at least one unplanned readmission, and patients attended a median (IQR) of 13 (7–23) outpatient clinic visits during the one-year follow-up period. Patients who received ECMO and who survived to hospital discharge had reasonable one-year survival. Despite a median of > 45 weeks spent alive and out of hospital, this was accompanied by a significant ongoing healthcare burden, highlighting the need for robust ECMO survivorship care.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Critical Care
Published
2026-10-15
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13054-026-06388-w
Primary Topic
Mechanical Circulatory Support Devices
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Weeks alive and out of hospital among adult ECMO survivors: a multicentre registry-based study

Jacky Yung Suen, Wai Ching Sin, 马俊杰, April Ip et al.
Critical Care
Mechanical Circulatory Support Devices
article

Weeks alive and out of hospital among adult ECMO survivors: a multicentre registry-based study

Jacky Yung Suen, Wai Ching Sin, 马俊杰, April Ip, Pauline Yeung Ng, Ka Ming Kwok, Carol Lynette Hodgson, Peter Tanuseputro, Qiman Shi, Emmanuel Hei-Lok Cheung, George Wing Yiu Ng, Steven Kin-ho Ling, Shannon M. Fernando, Hoi‐Ping Shum, Chun Wai Ngai, Eddy Fan, Yu-Yeung Yip, SM Lam, Tammy Sin‐Kwan, Dominic So, Calvin Tam
article en

Abstract

To describe the one-year clinical trajectories and healthcare utilisation of adult patients receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Retrospective, multicentre, population-based cohort study, including adult patients (≥ 18 years) who received venovenous (VV-) ECMO, venoarterial (VA-) ECMO, or extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (eCPR) in public hospitals in Hong Kong between January 2010 and August 2024. Patients were followed for one year from ECMO initiation. The primary outcome was time alive and out of hospital. A total of 1,617 patients (635 VV-ECMO, 616 VA-ECMO, 366 eCPR) were included. The median (interquartile range [IQR]) age was 56 (45–64) years. Survival to hospital discharge varied by ECMO modality: 66.5% for VV-ECMO, 46.9% for VA-ECMO, and 28.1% for eCPR. Notably, survival was sustained after hospital discharge across ECMO modalities, with one-year survival rates of 64.6%, 45.1%, and 27.3%, respectively. Among the 814 hospital survivors, the median (IQR) time spent alive and out of hospital in the year after ECMO initiation was 45.3 (38.7–48.3) weeks (VV-ECMO), 45.4 (39.1–48.4) weeks (VA-ECMO), and 46.3 (37.7–48.7) weeks (eCPR). However, among hospital survivors, 29.5% had at least one unplanned readmission, and patients attended a median (IQR) of 13 (7–23) outpatient clinic visits during the one-year follow-up period. Patients who received ECMO and who survived to hospital discharge had reasonable one-year survival. Despite a median of > 45 weeks spent alive and out of hospital, this was accompanied by a significant ongoing healthcare burden, highlighting the need for robust ECMO survivorship care.

Critical Care
The University of Queensland (AU), Chinese University of Hong Kong (HK), University of Toronto (CA), Queen's University (CA), Lakeridge Health (CA), Tuen Mun Hospital (CN), Queen Mary Hospital (CN), United Christian Hospital (CN), Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital (CN), The Alfred Hospital (AU), Prince of Wales Hospital (CN), Princess Margaret Hospital (HK), Queen Elizabeth Hospital (CN), Institute for Molecular Bioscience (AU), Monash University (AU), University of Hong Kong (HK)
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 25%
Mechanical Circulatory Support Devices
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.