Machine Learning from Veno-Venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Identifies Factors Associated with Neurological Outcomes

Neurological complications are common in patients receiving veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) support. We used machine learning (ML) algorithms to identify predictors for neurological outcomes for these patients.

All demographic, clinical, and circuit-related variables were extracted for adults with VV-ECMO support at a tertiary care center from 2016 to 2022. The primary outcome was good neurological outcome (GNO) at discharge defined as a modified Rankin Scale of 0–3.

Of 99 total VV-ECMO patients (median age = 48 years; 65% male), 37% had a GNO. The best performing ML model achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.87. Feature importance analysis identified down-trending gas/sweep/blender flow, FiO₂, and pump speed as the most salient features for predicting GNO.

Utilizing pre- as well as post-initiation variables, ML identified on-ECMO physiologic and pulmonary conditions that best predicted neurological outcomes.