Introduction: Data comparing sedatives in patients receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) are sparse. However, it is known that the ECMO circuit alters the pharmacokinetic properties of medications via drug sequestration of lipophilic agents and increased volume of distribution.
Objectives: This study evaluated the difference in days alive without delirium or coma and the sedative requirements in patients receiving fentanyl versus hydromorphone in ECMO patients.
Methods: This single-center retrospective observational study evaluated adults receiving ECMO for more than 48 hours and continuous infusion of either fentanyl or hydromorphone for at least 6 hours. Of 148 patients evaluated, 88 received fentanyl and 60 received hydromorphone continuous infusion sedation. Outcomes included delirium-free and coma-free (DFCF) days, narcotic use, and sedative use.
Main results: There was an increase in the number of DFCF days in the hydromorphone group at day 7 (p=0.07) and day 14 (p=0.08) and a significant reduction in daily fentanyl equivalent exposure. Propensity score matching yielded 54 matched pairs. An 11.1% increase was observed in the proportion of ECMO days alive without delirium or coma in the hydromorphone group at 7 days (53.2% vs 42.1%, p=0.006). Patients in the hydromorphone group received significantly fewer narcotics with a median of 555 µg (interquartile range [IQR] 287-905 µg) of fentanyl equivalents per day compared with 2291 µg (IQR 1053-4023 µg) in the fentanyl group (p<0.005).
Conclusion: The use of hydromorphone-based sedation in ECMO patients resulted in more days alive without delirium or coma while significantly reducing narcotic requirements.
Keywords: acute respiratory distress syndrome; delirium; extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; intensive care; sedation.
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