BACKGROUND: Cardiogenic shock (CS) mortality remains near 40%. In addition to inadequate cardiac output, patients with severe CS may exhibit vasodilation. We aimed to examine the prevalence and consequences of vasodilation in CS. METHODS: We analyzed all patients hospitalized at a CS referral center who were diagnosed with CS stages B to E and did not have concurrent sepsis or recent cardiac surgery. Vasodilation was defined by lower systemic vascular resistance (SVR), higher norepinephrine equivalent dose, or a blunted SVR response to pressors. Threshold SVR values were determined by their relation to 14-day mortality in spline models. The primary outcome was death within 14 days of CS onset in multivariable-adjusted Cox models. RESULTS: This study included 713 patients with a mean age of 60 years and 27% females; 14-day mortality was 28%, and 38% were vasodilated. The median SVR was 1308 dynes•s•cm ⁻⁵ (interquartile range, 870–1652), median norepinephrine equivalent was 0.11 µg/kg per minute (interquartile range, 0–0.2), and 28% had a blunted pressor response. Each 100-dynes•s•cm ⁻⁵ decrease in SVR below 800 was associated with 20% higher mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.23; P =0.004). Each 0.1-µg/kg per minute increase in norepinephrine equivalent dose was associated with 15% higher mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.12; P <0.001). A blunted pressor response was associated with a nearly 2-fold mortality increase (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.74; P =0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Pathophysiologic vasodilation is prevalent in CS and independently associated with an increased risk of death. CS vasodilation can be identified by SVR <800 dynes•s•cm ⁻⁵ , high doses of pressors, or a blunted SVR response to pressors. Additional studies exploring mechanisms and treatments for CS vasodilation are needed.

Nutrition in pediatric populations who require life-saving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) remains a debate. We sought to identify if nutritional needs were met in a patient cohort. A retrospective chart review of patients (N = 64) requiring ECMO at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital between 2018 and 2022 was evaluated for demographics, daily nutritional data, laboratory values, ECMO complications, and outcome data, with primary outcome measures of percent protein and percent caloric intake. Secondary outcome measures included the intensive care unit length of stay, time on ECMO, mortality, and day 1 severity of illness scores (Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction). The timeline partially overlapped with the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected for 467 ECMO days with a median age of 2.6 months; 57.8% of patients were male and 65.6% were with one pre-existing comorbidity. Venoarterial (VA) ECMO was utilized in 84.4% of patients; the ECMO indication was cardiac in 53.1% of patients. The 28-day mortality was 43.8%. The proportion of days in which the caloric goal was met was 0%; the proportion of days in which protein goals were met was 33.3%. Non-cardiac ECMO patients had a greater number of days where caloric goals were met (p-value = 0.04). Mortality at 28 days was not statistically significant (p-value = 0.28) for calories or protein administered. The patient cohort struggled to meet calorie and protein goals while on ECMO.

Background/Objectives: Multiple independent variables were analyzed to determine total nutritional intake (caloric and protein), while reviewing vasoactive inotrope scores (VISs). Methods: Retrospective data were collected for nutritional intake (N = 64), daily VISs, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) complications, delays in nutritional intake (>48 h), reason for delay, and interruptions in nutrition support. Results: VISs and ECMO characteristics analyzed by box–whisker plots demonstrated that ECMO complications prior to 24 h, cardiac arrest 24 h prior to ECMO, pediatric ECMO patients, venoarterial ECMO type, having a cardiac ECMO indication, and ECMO centrifugal pump had higher VISs. A regression analysis revealed that venovenous ECMO patients and the centrifugal pump type had higher caloric and protein intake; subsequently, for each increase in VIS, caloric intake decreased by −0.54. Sixteen patients did not receive nutritional support while on ECMO (9/16; 56% cardiac); 12/48 (25%) had a delay, with the cardiac patients nearing statistical significance. Conclusion: Venovenous ECMO (non-cardiac) correlated with higher nutritional intake. The enteral administration of nutrition had a lower VIS on average compared to the other three groupings, namely enteral vs. parenteral; enteral vs. both enteral and parenteral; enteral vs. no nutrition. This study provides additional clinical insight on nutritional intake in ECMO patients.