[Efficacy of rescue extracorporeal membrane oxygenation combined with delayed left ventricular assist device implantation for in-hospital sudden cardiac arrest in end-stage heart failure patients].

The data of eight patients with end-stage heart failure who experienced in-hospital sudden cardiac arrest and received cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), followed by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) combined with delayed left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation in Fujian Medical University Union Hospital from January 2022 to June 2025 were retrospectively reviewed. Among them, there were seven males and one female, with a median age of 56 (50, 63) years. The etiologies included ischemic cardiomyopathy (five cases), dilated cardiomyopathy (two cases) and low cardiac output syndrome after severe valvular heart disease surgery (one case). All patients were stabilized by ECMO rescue before LVAD implantation, with an ECMO support time of 9.5 (6.5, 12.0) days. All surgeries were performed under general anesthesia with cardiopulmonary bypass. Postoperatively, six cases discharged smoothly, two cases died in hospital, and one case developed cerebral infarction which recovered after interventional thrombectomy. For discharged patients, follow-up was conducted at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months, the mechanical pump functioned normally, and cardiac function was significantly improved. The study suggests that ECMO can stabilize the condition of these high-risk patients, and bridging to LVAD can relieve the pressure on the donor heart and improve prognosis.