Background

Femoral venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) is widely used to maintain blood flow in patients with cardiogenic shock. However, retrograde blood flow increases left ventricular (LV) afterload during femoral VA-ECMO. Additional support by means of an intraaortic balloon pump (IABP) alleviates LV afterload but is associated with significant adverse events. We previously developed a system for rotational speed modulation in synchrony with the native cardiac cycle, for use with implantable continuous-flow LV assist devices. Here, we aimed to evaluate whether our novel rotation speed modulation system can improve coronary artery flow and reduce LV during femoral VA-ECMO.