BLEEDING EVENTS IN REFRACTORY CARDIAC ARREST TREATED WITH EXTRACORPOREAL MEMBRANE OXYGENATION - A single centre experience.

We retrospectively assessed the incidence and prognostic impact of bleeding in 24 consecutive adult patients with refractory cardiac arrest treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) who were admitted to our Intensive Cardiac Care Unit (ICCU) from 1st January 2007 to 31th December 2012. ECMO was established percutaneously with peripheral femoro-femoral cannulation in all patients. Coronary angiography was performed in eighteen patients (75%) and a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in fourteen patients (58%). ECLS-related bleeding was defined as cannula site complication, retroperitoneal hemorrhage, and cerebral hemorrhage. Minor bleeding was defined by patients transfused with less than 8 units of red blood cells (RBC) during ICCU stay, while major bleeding was defined by patients requiring transfusion of more than 8 units of RBCs units or retroperitoneal or cerebral hemorrhage. According to our institution policy, transfusions were performed when Hb reached < 8 g/dl or in presence of haemodynamic instability