Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound for Monitoring the Cerebral Hemodynamic Changes and Prognosticating Outcomes in Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane-Oxygenated Patients

OBJECTIVE: Patients receiving venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) support may have cerebral hemodynamic changes whose impact on patient outcome are not fully elucidated. This study aims to evaluate the correlation between cerebral hemodynamic changes and prognostic outcome in patients during VA-ECMO. METHODS: Transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasound examination was performed to attain the systolic velocity (Vs), diastolic velocity (Vd), mean velocity (Vm), and pulsatility index (PI) of patients undergoing VA-ECMO. Cardiac ultrasound was also performed to assess the correlation between the left ventricular outflow tract velocity time integral (LVOT VTI), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and middle cerebral artery (MCA) with the systolic peak. Moreover, we assessed the predictive value of LVOT VTI and LVEF in patients with the systolic peak. Patients were divided into survival and death groups according to the 28-day survival period. Clinical data were compared between the two groups to investigate the effects of cerebral hemodynamic changes on the prognosis of VA-ECMO patients. RESULTS: We found that the patient's LVOT VTI and LVEF had high predictive values for the systolic peak of the right middle cerebral artery. The initial LVEF, Vs, Vd and PI, and lactate level as well as the MODS incidence rate difference were significantly different between the survival and death groups. In addition, the results showed that the initial Vs value was an independent risk factor for the prognosis of patients undergoing VA-ECMO. CONCLUSIONS: Cerebral hemodynamic changes may occur in patients supported by VA-ECMO. In addition, a poor cerebral arterial pulsatile blood flow was closely correlated with an unfavorable outcome in these patients.