Pediatric extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: outcomes and clinical trajectories

doi:10.1016/j.resuscitation.2026.111263

Pediatric anesthesia & critical care

Pediatric extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: outcomes and clinical trajectories

ResuscitationPublished 15 Aug 2026Retrospective cohort study

Read the original article ↗PubMed

Cite

Authors' conclusion

Pediatric OHCA-ECPR yielded limited but meaningful survival.

Study context

Population: Consecutive children (<18 years) treated with extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) at a tertiary pediatric ECMO referral center, 2013–2025of 155 OHCA patients
Participants: 42 children

Exposure: Survivors vs non-survivors
Survivorsn = 8
Non-survivorsn = 34reference
Outcome: Survival to hospital discharge

Methodological detailssingle-centre, observational

Single-centre
Observational

Main finding

As reported in the abstract

Survival to hospital discharge

19.0%

8/42

Observational data: associations, not effects.

Further findings

Bystander CPR · exploratory comparisons

P = 0.016

Survivors100.0%

Non-survivors52.9%

Transient pre-hospital ROSC · exploratory comparisons

P = 0.031

Survivors62.5%

Non-survivors20.6%

Low-flow duration · exploratory comparisons

P = 0.006

Survivors53 min

Non-survivors90 min

Initial lactate · exploratory comparisons

P = 0.003

Survivors11.18 mmol/L

Non-survivors18.00 mmol/L

Transfusion burden · 24 h · exploratory comparisons

P = 0.029

Survivors12 mL/kg

Non-survivors40 mL/kg

Outcome	Survivors	Non-survivors	P value
Vasoactive-inotropic score · 24 hExploratory comparisons	5	18	P = 0.0053

Early organ injury

More severe and persistent early organ injury in non-survivors

Brain death and organ donation among deaths

Brain death diagnosis (of 34 deaths): 12
Brain death, % of non-survivors: 35.3%
Brain death, % of total cohort: 28.6%
Effective organ donors: 4

Long-term survival and neurological outcome (PCPC ≤2) · last follow-up (median, 412 days)

Hospital survivors alive: 7 of 8
Alive survivors with PCPC ≤2: 6 of 7

Original publication

Pediatric extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: outcomes and clinical trajectories. Resuscitation. Published 15 August 2026. doi:10.1016/j.resuscitation.2026.111263

Read the original article ↗

Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →