Effects of the duration of bridge to lung transplantation with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

BackgroundAlthough bridge to lung transplantation (BTT) with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is increasingly performed, the impact of BTT and its duration on post-transplant outcomes are unclear.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed medical records of adult patients who underwent lung or heart-lung transplantation in our institution between January 2008 and December 2018. Data were compared in patients who did (n = 41; BTT) and did not (n = 36; non-BTT) require pre-transplant ECMO support. Data were also compared in patients who underwent short-term (ResultsAmong 77 patients included, 51 (66.2%) were male and median age was 53 years. The median bridging time in the BTT group was 13 days (interquartile range [IQR], 7-19 days). Although simplified acute physiologic score II was significantly higher in the BTT group (median, 35; IQR, 31-49 in BTT group vs. median, 12; IQR, 7-19 in non-BTT group; pConclusionsDespite the severe illness, the BTT group showed favorable post-transplantation outcomes, particularly those bridged for less than 14 days.