Higher Mortality in COVID-19 Patients Who Received ECMO Later in the Pandemic

Mortality was higher than 50% in patients who received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation after May 2020.

In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, many centers had high thresholds for initiating extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). During the subsequent months, the demand for ECMO increased, and intensivists have struggled to identify the best candidates for this therapy.

Investigators examined an ECMO registry of nearly 5000 patients with COVID-19 who were treated in 41 countries. They designated centers as either early adopters (use of ECMO for COVID-19 before May 1, 2020) or late adopters (use of ECMO after May 1, 2020). Early adopters (236 sites) treated about 1200 patients before May 2020 and an additional 2800 patients after that, whereas late adopters (113 sites) used ECMO to support about 800 patients.

Early in the pandemic, p…

Reviewing Author

Patricia Kritek, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsATS Scholar

Patricia Kritek, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsATS Scholar

Higher Mortality in COVID-19 Patients Who Received ECMO Later in the Pandemic

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Reviewing Author