Quality of life of pediatric cardiac patients who previously required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

Objectives: We sought to assess quality of life of pediatric cardiac extracorporeal membrane oxygenation survivors. We hypothesized that these patients would have decreased quality of life when compared to that of a general U.S. population sample. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Patient homes and Children's Hospital Boston. Patients: Cardiac extracorporeal membrane oxygenation survivors currently 5-18 yrs old. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: Quality of life was assessed by parent proxy report using the Child Health Questionnaire Parent Form 50 and was compared to that of a general U.S. population sample and other cardiac populations. Factors associated with lower quality of life were sought. Physical summary scores for 41 cardiac extracorporeal membrane oxygenation survivors were lower than the mean of the general population sample (42.4 +/- 16.4 vs. 53.0 +/- 8.8; p < .001) but similar to those of children with Fontan physiology or an automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator. Psychosocial summary scores in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation patients were not different from those of the general population (48.2 +/- 11.8 vs. 51.2 +/- 9.1; p = .11) or of other cardiac samples. Postcardiotomy extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, more noncardiac operations, total intensive care and hospital days, noncardiac medical conditions, medications, and the need for physical, occupational, or speech therapy were associated with low physical summary scores. More noncardiac operations, noncardiac medical conditions, and the need for special education, physical, occupational, or speech therapy were associated with low psychosocial summary scores. Conclusions: In pediatric cardiac extracorporeal membrane oxygenation survivors, the physical component of health-related quality of life is lower than that of the general population but similar to that of patients with complex cardiac disease, whereas psychosocial quality of life is similar to that of the general population and of other pediatric cardiac populations. (Pediatr Crit Care Med 2012; 13:428-434)