A Follow-up Study on Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Survivors after Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation by Pulmonary High-Resolution CT

This study aims to identify morphological changes in the lung parenchyma of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) survivors after extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) by high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) follow-up. Factors influencing these changes are also examined. Information and lung HRCT scans were collected and studied 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after the withdrawal of severe ARDS survivors rescued by ECMO in the Respiratory Care Unit of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital from November 2009 to August 2012. The observation endpoint was set as the time when the lung lesions were basically absorbed or 12 months after withdrawal. Among nine survivors, one survivor was lost to follow-up. The lesions of two patients, which were attributed to bacterial pneumonia and pneumocystis pneumonia, were basically absorbed 1 month after surgery. Six patients completed the 12 month follow-up. Although initial morphological changes varied, different degrees of absorption improvement were observed in later stages of treatment. Lung HRCT analysis on the sixth month indicated that the degree of involvement of the ventral region was greater than that of the dorsal area. No significant difference was observed in patients in terms of ECMO support time, pre-ECMO Murray score, and APACHE II score, among others. Lung HRCT of severe ARDS survivors after ECMO treatment showed various degrees of morphological changes in the lung parenchyma. The severity of these changes may be associated with the disease duration.