Results
Median age was 61 years (IQR 50-69); 67% were men. 77 patients were
cannulated via the ascending aorta (17%), 31 via the axillary artery
(7%), and 306 (69%) via the femoral artery. In total, 26 patients
(6.3%) developed 30 stroke lesions at a median of 6.0 (IQR 3.1-8.7)
days after ECMO cannulation. Ischemic stroke was the most common subtype
(64%), followed by hemorrhagic transformation (20%) and hemorrhagic
stroke (16%). Location by CT was right hemispheric in 38%, left
hemispheric in 24%, bilateral in 21%, and vertebrobasilar in 17%. The
incidence of stroke was similar across cannulation strategies: aorta
(n=5, 6.5%), axillary artery (n=2, 6.5%), and femoral artery (n=19,
6.2%), (p=0.99).