Medical sciences
Infectious Complications in Adults Receiving Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Nosocomial and Bloodstream Infection, Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Clinical Outcomes
By Alzibdeh A, Alamami A, Zara S and 10 others.
Abstract
Background/objectives
Reported infection rates during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) vary widely, partly because case definitions are applied inconsistently. We synthesized the prevalence and prognostic association of nosocomial and bloodstream infection (BSI) acquired during adult ECMO.
Methods
PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus and CENTRAL were searched through December 2025 for observational studies of at least 10 adults on ECMO with an explicit infection definition. We classified case definitions by the criteria actually applied. We pooled crude mortality odds ratios (ORs) and patient-level BSI prevalence in studies applying laboratory-confirmed criteria, assessed risk of bias with ROBINS-I and the JBI checklist, and rated certainty with GRADE.