Oxygen debt repayment in the early phase of veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: a cluster analysis

INTRODUCTION: Early oxygen debt repayment is predictive of successful weaning from veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V-A ECMO). However, studies are limited by the patient cohort’s heterogeneity. This study aimed to understand the early state of oxygen debt repayment and its association with end-organ failure and 30-day survival using cluster analysis. METHODS: A retrospective, single-center study was conducted on 153V-A ECMO patients. Patients were clustered using a two-step cluster analysis based on oxygen debt and its repayment during the first 24 h of ECMO. Primary outcomes were end-organ failure and 30-day survival. RESULTS: The overall mortality was 69.3%. For cluster analysis, 137 patients were included, due to an incomplete data set. The mortality rate in this subset was 67.9%. Three clusters were generated, representing increasing levels of total oxygen debt from cluster 1 to cluster 3. Thirty-day survival between clusters was significantly different (cluster 1: 46.9%, cluster 2: 23.4%, and cluster 3: 4.8%, p = 0.001). Patients in cluster 3 showed less decrement in liver enzymes, creatinine, and urea blood levels. There were significant differences in the baseline oxygen debt and the need for continuous veno-venous hemofiltration (CVVH) between survivors and non-survivors (p < 0.05). Forty-seven patients (34.3%) migrated between clusters within the first 24 h of support. Among these patients, 43.4% required CVVH. Notably, patients requiring CVVH and who migrated to a cluster with a higher oxygen debt repayment showed better survival rates compared to those who migrated to a cluster with a lower oxygen debt repayment. CONCLUSIONS: Oxygen debt repayment during the first 24 h of V-A ECMO shows to correspond with survival, where the baseline oxygen debt value and the necessity for continuous kidney replacement therapy appear to be influential.