Comparative Efficacy of Extracorporeal Versus Conventional Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Adult Refractory Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Retrospective Study at a Single Center

Background: Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) has the potential to improve neurological outcomes in patients with refractory out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), offering an alternative to conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CCPR). However, its effectiveness in OHCA remains controversial despite advancements in resuscitation techniques. Methods: This retrospective single-center study compared neurological outcomes and 30-day survival between ECPR and CCPR patients from January 2014 to January 2022. Patients aged 18–75 with witnessed OHCA, minimal no flow and low flow times, and cardiac arrests occurring at home or in public places were included. All patients were transported directly to our institution, a tertiary medical center serving the southeastern region of Seoul, where extracorporeal membrane oxygenation implantation was consistently performed in the emergency department. Neurological outcomes were assessed using Cerebral Performance Category scores, with good outcomes defined as scores of 1–2. Statistical analyses included logistic regression models and Kaplan–Meier survival curves, adjusted for confounders using inverse probability of treatment weighting. Results: ECPR was associated with significantly better neurological outcomes than CCPR (p < 0.001). Factors predicting poor outcomes included older age and longer low flow times, while male sex and shockable rhythms were protective. No significant difference was found in 30-day survival between the ECPR and CCPR groups, although a trend toward better survival was noted with ECPR. Conclusions: ECPR may improve neurological outcomes in patients with refractory OHCA compared to CCPR, although it does not significantly affect 30-day survival. Further studies are necessary to validate these findings and explore the long-term impacts of ECPR.