Prone positioning of patients during venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is safe and feasible

Prone positioning of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has been shown to significantly improve survival rates. Prone positioning reduces collapse of dorsal lung segments with subsequent reduction of alveolar overdistension of ventral lung segments, optimizes lung recruitment and enhances drainage. Patients with ARDS treated by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can also benefit from prone positioning; however, the procedure is associated with a possible higher risk of serious adverse events. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and feasibility of prone positioning for patients with severe ARDS during ECMO therapy. This study involved a retrospective analysis of all patients placed in a prone position while being treated by venovenous ECMO (vvECMO) for severe hypoxemia in ARDS as bridge to recovery in the interdisciplinary intensive care unit at the University Hospital Leipzig between January 2009 and August 2013. Baseline data, hospital mortality and serious adverse events were documented. Serious adverse events were defined as dislocation or obstruction of endotracheal tube or tracheal cannula, ECMO cannulas and cardiac arrest. Prone positioning was carried out by at least one doctor and three nurses according to a standardized protocol. Results are given as the median (1st and 3rd quartiles). A total of 26 patients were treated with vvECMO as bridge to recovery due to severe ARDS. Causes for ARDS were pneumonia (n=20) and aspiration (n=2) and four patients had different rare causes of ARDS. The median time on ECMO was 8 days (6;11) and during this period 134 turning events were documented. Patients were proned for a median of 5 (3;7) periods with a median duration of 12 h (8;12). No serious adverse events were recorded. The hospital mortality was 42 % and mortality during the ECMO procedure was 35 %. Prone positioning significantly reduces the mortality of patients with severe ARDS. In this series of 26 patients with severe ARDS during ECMO therapy no serious adverse events were found during the use of prone positioning.