Sex Differences in All-Cause Mortality Following Institution of Veno-Arterial Ecmo as a Bridge to Definitive Management

Abstract

There remains significant anecdotal evidence to suggest that gender is a contributing factor in the presentation, prognosis and survival of heart disease. Within ischemic cardiomyopathy, current studies have indicated that female sex may be an independent risk factor for increased in-hopsital mortality [1][2]. Although females typically have a later presentation with atypical chest pain and symptoms, their survival, bridge to recovery and transplantation are less well characterized compared to males [3]. We aim to compare all-cause mortality among male and female patients who underwent Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (VA-ECMO) as a bridge to treatment. This study represents the first to evaluate gender differences in prognosis of cardiogenic shock in the setting of ischemic cardiomyopathy on mechanical circulatory support.