In our retrospective multicenter study of patients 0 to 18 years of age who survived extracorporeal life support (ECLS) between January 2010 and December 2018, we sought to characterize the functional status scale (FSS) of ECLS survivors, determine the change in FSS from admission to discharge, and examine risk factors associated with development of new morbidity and unfavorable outcome. During the study period, there were 1,325 ECLS runs, 746 (56%) survived to hospital discharge. Pediatric patients accounted for 56%. Most common ECLS indication was respiratory failure (47%). ECLS support was nearly evenly split between veno-arterial and veno-venous (51% vs . 49%). Median duration of ECLS in survivors was 5.5 days. Forty percent of survivors had new morbidity, and 16% had an unfavorable outcome. In a logistic regression, African American patients (OR 1.68, p = 0.01), longer duration of ECLS (OR 1.002, p = 0.004), mechanical (OR 1.79, p = 0.002), and renal (OR 1.64, p = 0.015) complications had higher odds of new morbidity. Other races (Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans) (OR 2.89, p = 0.013), longer duration of ECLS (OR 1.002, p = 0.002), and mechanical complications (OR 1.67, p = 0.026) had higher odds of unfavorable outcomes. In conclusion, in our multi-center 9-year ECLS experience, 56% survived, 40% developed new morbidity, and 84% had favorable outcome. Future studies with larger populations could help identify modifiable risk factors that could help guide clinicians in this fragile patient population.
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